Over the weekend, an email from the Mar Vista City Counsel came to me regarding the first meeting of the Education, Arts and Culture Committee at the Mar Vista Library TONIGHT, Monday 6/27 at 6:30pm. A quick shout out to the teachers and Amy and I will be attending. Please join us if you can to get a foot in the door and increase our awareness of how to proceed with an OUTREACH TEAM at New School-West! Email me if you can come: Kris@newschoolwest.com
Now, about the presentation…Notes from Jona Newhall (Ren, WW)
It’s June and the West Wingers are completing their year of preschool. Research and exploration happens every day at New School-West. Teachers and students are committed to going deeper, too, through sustained inquiries spanning multiple years. One of these, “Little Feet in a Big World”, began with walks around the neighborhood and is poised (and open!) to expand “off the map” into questions of the children’s sense of place in the community and beyond. Supported by Kris, Roleen, and the entire West Wing team, Cindy and Flora presented the work thus far to a big, enthusiastic, inspired group of parents. Your notetaker scribbled as fast as possible to preserve the highlights that follow. Apologies for probably not getting it exactly right in spots…
Roleen and Kris welcomed the gathered masses and reminded us that our identity as West Wing families will soon be evolving. Six East Wing families are staying another year, four brand new families are joining the East Wing midstream, and some families will spend another year as West Wingers.
Kris and Roleen remind and encourage everyone to complete the year-end survey. Just go to the blog and find the link in the right-hand column. It’s called “Tell Us!”. How was the year for you? What suggestions do you have? Feedback is greatly valued!
Flora and Cindy shared the Research Question created in 2014 at New School-West and how this year’s West Wing has run with it. They described some of the precipitating notions for the investigation: How does a sense of place inform identity? What do the children know about the neighborhood? They asked themselves to be open to the children noticing everything — what would they see? How would this reveal individual identity? They intentionally incorporated the children’s use of cameras as tools of investigation. How would children documenting affect how they see themselves and each other?
From walk #1, the opportunity was taken to discuss safety and private space — don’t walk on the lawns, don’t pick the flowers, hold hands, etc. The children began recognizing and naming landmarks North of school, along May and adjoining streets. Storytelling Crack, Fuzzy Sidewalk, Two-Mountain Hill, Cactus Corner… They quickly connected to the natural world: bugs, animals, plants, and trees. Nancypants the cat! She’ll come to you! They wrote a letter to the owners of The Swing (a NSW alumni family, the Adams) to ask permission for use, which was officially granted. Flora and Cindy observed in them predictable and remarkable joy whenever visiting The Hill. All of this was documented in the West Wing, and there is an idea to make a book of the children’s pictures.
Maps and mapping became another dimension to the project. The teachers printed a large map of the walk zone. Children took turns adding landmarks. Do children understand maps? Would adding pictures help them? At this stage they invited the East Wingers who will be joining this group next year to participate. Meaningful connections were made!
Next: Letting the children decide where to go. Almost immediately that led them into literally uncharted territory, off the map, the world of Venice Boulevard. Children in charge of navigation need sharpened negotiation skills and a more subtle communication. Teachers took this opportunity to model directional language. “I want to go straight then turn left.” “Let’s continue on, then cross the street, and turn right.” Whenever possible the teachers answered the question “When should we intervene?” with “Let’s see what happens.”
Here’s what happened.
At the corner of Venice and Beethoven, standing on the banks of two rushing, impassible rivers, our Bosphorus, the group watches a dog and its presumed family cruise by, cross Venice, cross Beethoven, and disappear through a door. Soon, family emerges minus dog. “We want to go THAT WAY!” Where’s the dog?! They make their way to the mysterious storefront. They formulate lines of inquiry. They elect a spokesperson, Ava. They enter with force of numbers. “Did a fluffy dog come in here?” says Ava to employees, Jessica and Cynthia,. “Yes, a fluffy dog did come in here.” “Where is it?” “It’s getting groomed.” “What does groomed mean?” “It’s taking a bath.” “Ohhhhhhhhhh.” A different dog comes out, groomed, and everyone says hello. The children examine the doggy wares, assume repose in the waiting room chairs, discuss magazine profferings, and eventually move on. To the next storefront.
Observing this, teachers Cindy and Flora wonder how the children see themselves in the community? What expectations do they have of the stores, owners and community? They soon saw.
On the walk back from the Dogromat, the childrens noses and hands were pressed to storefront windows. They wondered aloud: “What is that yummy smell?” “Maybe we should go in an buy candy!” “When are they going to put clothes on that naked lady?” “Are they open?”
Venice Boulevard quickly became the preferred site of exploration. The teachers wondered about each of the small businesses there: “Are the OPEN?” Are they open to having children come into their store? What will their reactions be? Are they open to being a part of something involving the larger community? How do they perceive children? A common perception would be that they are “cute”, but children perceive themselves as more than that. Is there an opportunity here to deepen and enhance the reciprocal relationship between adults and children?
With analysis from the whole school staff, Flora and Cindy decided to interview owners and employees on their own to gauge receptivity and collect information to equip the children for future visits. “Do you have experience with children?” “How do you feel about children entering your place of business?” “What relationship do you have with your neighboring businesses?” “Can we take your picture?”
Most businesses were quite welcoming. For example, Raj from Hurry Curry was happy and proud to share his restaurant. Likewise for Pedro from El Charo and La Potranca, and Manny from Alex Party Rentals. Tiernan from Vanity Room actually went to New School-West, which unlocked an otherwise reserved conversation with the manager. Keith from Westside Center for Independent Living offered to visit the school and share his knowledge of disabilities. Valerie from Sunny Market Liquor responded with exceptional interest and sensitivity: “I don’t mind if things break, I just don’t want them to get hurt.” Each of these individuals allowed their picture to be taken, which was then shared with the children at school. Befitting anyone who has spent more than a hundred days at New School-West, they had a lot of questions.
The teachers have questions, too. How do the children see themselves as part of the community? How can children influence relationships among neighboring businesses? Again, how might this work change the perceived image of children? Tied in with earlier questions, how will incorporating the children’s own photography support the investigation, including the understanding of maps? What might be contributed by children as interviewers? Could this be channeled into a school or community newsletter? Could this work relate to the Great Streets project? If we are models for children about being in a community, how involved are we in our own community?
FEEDBACK
(not 100% comprehensive, excuse the paraphrasing…)
Parents seemed to be seriously jazzed, ready with praise for the teachers and with thoughts about where to go from here.
“I like the idea of children doing the interviewing.” It was agreed that this could be an effective means of expanding standard, limited perceptions of children. They are full of curiosity and the teachers have sometimes been surprised by their willingness to speak up.
“How have the walks affected the residents in our neighborhood?” The people that live in the vicinity have also been generally positive. One homeowner is very sensitive about her fancy landscaping — the children have been highly respectful.
“We sometimes forget about the people who are behind these small, local businesses which are not flashy or trendy. Every business has a story behind it. We could publish a book about the people behind these places, their stories, the sacrifices they’ve made. The children could be the interviewers and help to educate us, too, about the neighborhood. Then it could be elevated beyond our school — our school could be a model for what other neighborhoods could do.”
“Yes, children are open, curious, and non-threatening. People usually want to talk with them, much more than they would to me, some weird grownup guy!”
“I’m inspired to take my children around MY neighborhood where I live, get to know the people running those businesses. I’ve never met them.”
“If there could be some kind of newsletter from the children’s perspective that would be great for us as parents, too. It’s hard to get a lot of reporting from them about their days, I’d love to hear what they’re thinking.”
“People have a tendency to want to GIVE children something, a lollipop, a toy. It’s a struggle to keep them from becoming people who expect free stuff.” Cindy: “Some of it is out of our control. But again, when the children initiate the connection with their own questions that may take it to a deeper level right from the start.”
“Have you been showing the children their own photos?” Cindy: “Yes, we sometimes set up a screen in the Atelier. In the beginning everything was LOW, and now they are starting to look UP, at streetsigns for example. Some want to be far away and get a bigger context, some want to be close, sometimes even inside, like inside bushes, getting textures.”
“The Great Streets connection could be really lucky and important. Big grant money has been allotted to beautify certain sections of just 15 streets in all of LA, and NSW happens to be on one of them. The folks in charge are eager for input, and we could have a huge impact.”
“826LA is right down the street on the other side, about a block west of Centinela. It’s a non-profit literacy center for kids. They might be able to help with the writing aspect.”
“This reminds me how interesting it is to explore our own front yards, our own blocks. We’re always going places farther away, to the beach, to the zoo. We can miss examining what’s nearby.”
Cindy: “Yes and by walking we’ve discovered a piece about SLOWING DOWN. Children are used to moving through space so quickly because of cars. Time and also distance are experienced differently when walking. One child thought we were close to his house because a car would have taken him there in two minutes, but it was too far to walk.”
“How often do the walks happen?” Flora: “About two times a week, in small groups. Each walk is a new experience but retains some essence of the previous walk, continued investigation of a theme, or a common individual who can talk to the others about the earlier walk.”
“One social psychologist suggests the best predictor of a community’s health is whether an adult will intervene to help a child who is not their own. So this work has the power to increase the health of our community!” (added research from Samantha Stewart, Sy’s mom, WW) “collective efficacy” which is partly measured by “social cohesion” for which looking out for other’s kids is the strongest marker in his research… http://www.
“Have the walk experiences been brought back to the school? Do you see anything from the walks appearing in their play?” “It has really become a common language for them. It has become their culture. After every walk they are eager to share at Reflection Meeting — the people not on the walk connect quickly with the people on the walk. Sometimes we see aspects resurfacing in the house area.”
“The mayor of Paris puts a child on every city planning commission. [This from a recent New York Times article: She has also insisted that at least one child be involved in evaluating public projects, and aides say the idea for a floating garden on the Seine that was constructed in 2013 came from an 8-year-old who drew it with crayons, winning Ms. Hidalgo attention when she was deputy mayor.]
“The confidence and openness of the children is made possible by the teachers, who have over the past school year made them feel secure, and in feeling secure be empowered to express their identities.”
“If you encounter people who are resistant to the work, will they still be a part of it in some way?” “Absolutely!”
“Feels so good that our children are experiencing more than just gentrified, exclusive culture.”
“We should consider, perhaps in the years to come, organizing a neighborhood event, such as an annual Community Day. It’s really possible.” Flora: “We could think about inviting the business people we are meeting to visit our school. Every year we have a ‘Community Day’ where we invite the people in our neighborhood and those not directly related to the Early Childhood community to see our school and our work to raise the awareness of children’s capabilities.
Roleen: “We could have an Outreach Team of parents to help realize these intentions.”
“It’s refreshing the idea of strangers approaching strangers in a neighborhood with motives that don’t involve money, or marketing. This is something much more pure. There’s not enough of this kind of thing in the world, and the children make it possible because they aren’t yet driven by those more common concerns.”
“The children are very into making relationships.”
“This presentation was fantastic! I was really listening to the narrative aspects, they chose a narrative approach to share the work, and that was really effective.” “Yeah, these teachers are masters.”