Letter One – 19, 20, 21 January 2021
Dear parents, We have completed a wonderful week and we are ready to step into Week 2. The children have all been fabulous! What a joy it is to work with them all. I thought that I’d like to give you just a little peep into what I’m doing to facilitate teaching and learning. Firstly, I am trying to set up an environment of love, beauty & warmth, gratitude, joy, laughter, safety and responsibility. We are building warmth and love through our social interaction with each other which is focused on listening and taking turns, kindness and caring and supporting each other. Beauty comes in the physical space, but is also in the way we speak to each other, how we work and the celebrations we share. This kind of environment serves to build confidence in the children in themselves and their place in the world. We develop gratitude through the morning verses, honouring the human spirit, nature, the elements, each other and the Divine. We give thanks for our food, for being able to learn and the little things we do for each other. Responsibility is about taking ownership of one’s life and the impact we have on others and our environment. So keeping our class clean, taking care of our belongings, crayons, books, being ready to learn, completing our work, being kind, etc. are all aspects that build that sense of responsibility. This we will build up over time. Joy - and laughter - is so important for learning to happen and be meaningful. Children need to laugh in the class every day. Music is the soul food of the young child, and so singing every day is vital. Secondly, bringing creative and artistic experiences throughout the day through stories, painting and drawing. These experiences help to cultivate and nurture the imagination. Children hear stories and are not shown any pictures. In this way their imagination can develop out of their own inner pictures and their own inner work. At this age it is important to give children the space and opportunity to develop and nurture their imagination. Ready-made images and picture books, over-defined toys, TV and movies hinder this process, often allowing for only one way of seeing things, stunting the ability to create something new out of one’s own efforts. At this stage it is best to keep these simple. Thirdly, creating a daily rhythm so the children know what to expect and feel nurtured & safe. The day starts with an opening schedule of lighting the candle, centering verses, greetings, songs, more verses and blowing out the candle. This is followed by a listening exercise, the register and then outside circle and movement time. The rest of the day then unfolds with recall, new content and activity. Rhythm and routine help to build resilience. Fourthly, customising the curriculum & crafting the lessons to meet the energy and interest of the children, to help them build their memory, succeed in activities and to build their confidence. It is important in this time to build resilience, sensitivity and confidence for meeting the world. This is our work. All the best. Teacher Beulah 25th January 2021 |
AuthorTeacher Beulah's 'Letter to the Parents' Archives
February 2023
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