It’s part of our culture to use drawing as a way to communicate and collaborate. The children use master plans as a way to convey their ideas and exchange information with one another. This first plan was an important beginning to their ongoing fire truck project. As the children approached adding wheels, there was a discrepancy.
Austen: We worked on the wheels of our fire truck today.
Palmer: We need your support to finish painting them.
Theo: It needs four wheels.
Van: No, we need six. We saw three on one side and three on the other side. 1, 2, 3 and 3 is six.
Teacher Adriana: Let me bring the master plan.
Austen: Look, we have three wheels on the master plan.
Sammy: Oh, now we have to think of the other side of the truck.
After many meetings, the children came to an agreement that their original master plan was the one they needed to use to guide their work. When they encounter a disagreement or a challenge, this reference to their original plan helps them come to a new understanding. Just like the children, we as teachers encounter moments every day that have us reflecting on our core values at New School-West. We review and redefine our values at the beginning of every year. This becomes our master plan to keep our vision on track and our work with the children and families focused.