Preschool Daycamp July 2013

Preschool Daycamp August 2013

Last night we had our farewell dinner at Terra Nova Park. Twenty years later and this event remains to be very difficult. Emotionally I mean. And how can it not be? For ten months I have seen these children for 12 hours per week- not much on the grand scale but it does translate to lots of time to develop our relationships. And, although families promise to come back and visit, we all know and understand it will never be the same.

Yesterday morning, very early, I went for a walk to try to gather my thoughts on the year past. As I walked along the paths, I had flashes of moments that the class shared. The moments are plentiful; rich in sound, colour, and emotion. These moments will live with me for a long time. They will not all be weighted equally, some will fade, some will remain more prominent. Some will be dormant for a time and then suddenly burst into the forefront. Memories are odd like that. But the creation of these memories is really and truly what I feel so privileged to be a part of.

To become part of the lives of these intelligent, engaging, curious, clever, funny and creative young children is a gift. To listen to their stories, to watch them experiment, to hold them when they are sad, to laugh with them when something is funny, to offer them new experiences, to present new ways of looking at things, to listen to them work through conflict, to observe their play, to receive and give hugs, to ask them questions, to offer them answers, to open doors for each other, to help them connect to other people, to help them be patient, to allow them to teach me; these are but a few of the reasons why teaching is the very best job; for me at least.

I am forever grateful to our parents for inviting me into their lives- the life of both their preschooler and their family- this can never be disconnected and schools that do not realize and cherish this truth need to rethink education.

So, yes, ending are hard. And although a cliche, endings also mean new beginnings. For my students, they will begin a new part of their lives as they head into elementary school. New relationships will be formed, new questions will arise and new ways of thinking will develop.  For me, new relationships will be formed, new questions will arise and new ways of thinking will develop. Yes, these are exactly the same. And, therein lies the beauty.

It has truly been a wonderful year. I am blessed.

Until September...

Emily

Today was our last day volunteering at the Richmond Food Bank. I am so grateful we had this opportunity– it has been an extraordinary experience for all of us. I, myself, have been very lucky to work in a community where I have seen dedicated volunteers working countless hours for people and projects they believe in. In my own community centre, the staff devote extra hours for many events, all to help strengthen our community. From these experiences grew a desire within me to try to share this with our children. How can we make them generous with their time and energy for the good of others? How can we teach them to be giving people– people that think of others? Are they too young for these concepts? In my need to answer these questions, I sought to find a volunteer opportunity for them. I thought about many different ideas but the food bank always came out ahead. I was lucky enough to come across an open-minded and risk-taking individual– let's face it, preschoolers getting work done is  a daunting concept– and I applaud his willingness to attempt to embark on this adventure.

It did not come easy- planning, negotiating, scheduling... it all took time and perseverance. But alas, we made it happen, thanks to an awesome teaching team at West, great support from our Director of Child Care, Gina Ho and of course, the staff at the Food Bank.

Each and every month, without fail, we would pile in with our loud voices and energetic bodies to pack snack bags for children coming to the food bank. We tweaked things as we went along– how to best manage the group, how to set up the stations, how to occupy children who weren't packing and many others small factors that every teacher will understand. We discussed. We reflected. And, lo and behold, I think we came to a place where we were all growing and learning.

Was it easy? No.

Children got tired. They got bored. They asked why they had to do it. They asked how much longer they needed to do their work. They wanted to go play (which they always did for half the time in a very well-set-up play area). At times we questioned ourselves... Is this right for the children? Does this fit into our model of being respectful to the children's interests? Are we being responsive to their needs? But, in the end, we always came back to...

Yes, this does align with our philosophy. We are sharing something special with our children. They are learning that:

• As a team we can make a difference.
• As an individual, they have the ability to make change.
• Sometimes we don't want to do things and that is okay, but we still must do them.
• Giving to others is good for them and is good for us. It makes us feel happy.
• Working in a group can be both rewarding and challenging.
• People appreciate people.

So, today, our last day... certificates of appreciation, party food and lots of kudos. I think we all feel pretty proud of this volunteer experience. I hope that they take these lessons with them as they begin their journey into life outside of this school.

Emily

Two weeks ago we were gifted four chrysalises from Alexa's mother, an elementary school teacher. It was very kind of her to donate them to our classroom and we were most appreciative for this unique gift. We read through the instructions and set up their home.  On Friday, I decided to take them home with me just in case they needed care over the long weekend. And, predictably, the butterflies emerged over the weekend. I was ready for their arrival after reading and re-reading the instructions to ensure success. I felt so responsible for the life of these butterflies. I was eager to share this event with the children as I knew they would be totally ecstatic! We had decided to release them at Terra Nova so they could enjoy a peaceful and joyful existence.

We met at the farm and the kids were amazed at their beauty!  They are truly lovely and I was so glad to hear the positive comments from the children. They were very impressed and we briefly went over the metamorphosis that occurred. We carried them over, with careful hands, to the Healing Garden. We formed a circle and placed the butterfly house in the centre for all to see. I asked them if they thought the butterflies would like loud or quiet voices near them and they all agreed we should use our quiet voices. I asked them if they thought they would all fly out in quick succession, like a stampede of butterflies or would they slowly fly away, one at a time. There were various answers on this question.

I opened the lid, with some degree of trepidation, as we had cared for these little insects and it was hard to think about not seeing them anymore. After a short moment, one became brave and slowly made its way to the top of the aquarium and then off into the world. Then another. And another. And, finally, the last one.

Cheering sounds...
                          Goodbyes......
                                                Waves of hands.....
                                                                             Eyes following the flight pattern.....

Cole shouted out "Oh, look. it landed on a leaf."

         

This event was important on many levels and again I find myself thinking about connections. For a very short time, these children looked after these butterflies. In fact they did not even have the chance to see them turn from a crawling caterpillar to one in its chrysallis. And yet, they still feel a sense of responsibility towards them, a care for them and a knowledge that somehow they have impacted each other's lives. And, now as they wander through the Terra Nova trails and grasses, they will look for "their" butterflies. They will wonder if their butterflies are drinking nectar, if they are resting on a beautiful flower or if they are sheltering themselves from the rain. Caring and connecting...what more could we possibly need?

Emily

Today our children had an amazing opportunity to work with Glen Anderson, a local artist specializing in mosaics. You can see his work at http://www.mosaicplanet.net. I met Glen last year at Urban Weavers Studio in Strathcona. I asked him many, many questions about mosaics, all of which he patiently answered with expertise. I was gearing up for an art project in our preschool class so I really wanted to get any pointers I could from him. The plan was to have our students make mosaic tiles to place along our fence at the garden plot at Terra Nova Farm. They worked out very well, thanks to Glen's great advice and it was a beautiful moment when child and parent hung the stones at the farm on our last day of school. It was a moment of great pride for all of us. The garden that they cared for with their own hands- tended to its needs in sunshine and in rain. They will always remain part of that space, that land and their stone will remind them of this connection. Even though they turned out absolutely lovely, I knew I wanted Glen to work directly with the students and share his knowledge with them first hand.

One year later... same project but this time with Glen guiding the children. Prior to his visit we told the children that a local artist would be coming to work with them and make their special piece. Several emails and phone calls later, Glen arrived with lots of interesting tile pieces, stones, and glass pieces.

Glen introduced himself and the children were immediately intrigued by this interesting man. He spoke about living on the water, his cats, his art and the project. They listened attentively, soaking in this new person and his energy. I loved the way he chatted with them... not to them but really with them.

The children choose their pieces, played with different designs and then worked with intent on their pieces. They were interested in the process- first laying the sand, then putting the pieces down (not too shallow, not too deep) then carefully putting it on the balcony where it waited to get filled with grout. And now we wait...one whole week...seven sleeps, until we can take them out of their molds and see how they turned out.









Last step...imprinting their names.. this is one example.


Although the project itself worked out very well, I really was most interested in the relationship they had with Glen. A brief and fleeting relationship but one that will become a small piece of who they are to become. By exposing our children to new people and new places we are offering them a gift. A gift of expanding their current knowledge base and extending their comfort zone. Each child will take something different from Glen. One mother reported to me that her son was most impressed by Glen's house boat and decided he, too, wants to live on the water. Other children might be interested in his cat story. Or his mosaics ( he showed a picture on his phone). Or the story he told about filming a movie in his house. Or the way he patiently taught them how to do the project. Each child took something away with them that day. I truly believe that each interaction we have in life has the potential to alter or change a small part of us. Or maybe a big part of us.

Think back on your day. Did someone or something affect you in a new way? As we shuffle around in our busy lives, it is hard to notice these moments, these opportunities. But I urge you to try to see them, feel them, hear them and let yourself be moved by them. This is true living. It takes mindful practice to live this way. I am trying, really hard. Try with me?

Emily