EW Back to School Night

Back to School Night EW 2018

Classroom Culture:  Looking Forward

It was another informative and energetic EW Back to School Night and as always, I am blown away by the depth, the passion, the dedication, and the interconnected thinking that drives the teachers’ work with the children.  Sharing the stories with the parents about how the curriculum develops has us all thinking together.  At a time when a lot of you are thinking about next steps with kindergarten, the focus of the evening was to make visible all that is going on in the school.  The beauty of the night was seeing that the work is crossing over in all our spaces both indoor and out in both EW and WW settings.  Very cool.

Strengthening the Domains of the Whole Child has us looking at the Social, Emotional, Physical (fine motor and large motor), Cognitive, and Creative.  We know that feeling confident in all these areas is what makes for strong self-esteem.  We also know that what we’ve learned from reading the Mind in the Making:  7 Essential Skills That Every Child Should Know, by Ellen Galinsky,.  These five domains are the foundations for Focus and Self-Regulation, Perspective Taking, Communicating, Critical Thinking, Taking on Challenges, Self-Directed/Engaged Learning.   

This night was also about seeing the Connections. . . with environments, materials, peers. . . and for us with each other as teachers and parents in the learning.  

Here are a few keywords from the Powerpoint:

Mantra:  A strategy we use to support a shared intention among the children to build an encouraging community. We’ve noticed the practice of choosing a mantra shapes the interactions of the children with, not only their fellow East Wing peers, but also their interactions with other teachers and the West Wing children.

Perspective Taking

Learning to take another’s perspective goes far beyond empathy. It involves figuring out what others think and feel and forms the basis for children’s understanding of another person’s intentions. Children who learn the skill of perspective taking are less likely to get into conflicts, and they’re more likely to resolve conflicts that do arise, because they are able to imagine and respect other people’s points of view.

By reflecting together, we offer space for children to brainstorm and discover a multitude of perspectives that inform decisions made in play. Because these ideas come from their peers, it is more meaningful to them and they’re more likely to consider them the next time they encounter these situations. So instead of shutting down an idea or a new player, they can gather more information and figure out how to move forward.

Critical thinking:

Critical thinking is the ongoing search for valid and reliable knowledge to guide beliefs, decisions, and actions.

In the front yard, our main focus is to create a culture where the intermixed ages of children feel and convey welcoming, support, and where they can express ideas and incorporate the thinking of others. To do this in this year, we began by having a small group of East Wing children greet the West Wingers to introduce them to all the different areas.

Building Community

We begin each year in the West Wing with an emphasis on building community. With this intention all our experiences are set up as an opportunity to make connections. For example, large canvases when painting, community weaving, partner drawing, etc. Now as the children enter the EW, we recognize their growth and see representational work emerge. Here is where we often wonder how we support the children as seeing their work as valuable to the community as well as recognizing the contribution of their peers.

Reflections:

The gathering with the parents at the end of the night is an important time to really know the “take aways” from the evening.  Here’s what I heard:

Teachers are really seen as professionals who are really invested in each child as an individual as well as knowing how to develop and nurture a caring community together.

Parents understood the importance of taking children out of their comfort zone to develop those areas that may not be on the child’s first choice list.

The materials were as exciting and challenging for parents as well as for the children. 

And here’s what Alex (Emilio) shared:

 Emilio: Tonight you are going to have a challenge with a lot of locks. It is really difficult, so you will need to get help.

 Emilio points to the white chair with Houdini-esque chains and locks. He put them on with Charlie.

 Later that evening at Back to School Night, I spent a good 15 minutes picking the locks with another dad. It was hard! We   had to figure a few things out.

 In response to Emilio’s challenge, we built one that night to greet him the next day. Three days later, he tells me he finally undid the puzzle I left him…with help from two of his friends. He smiles with pride.

Puzzles. Locks. Difficulty. Fun. Pride. Finding others to help unlock the unknown. This is New School West.

Thanks, again, to Kristin and the teachers for another great presentation and creating a night of interactive connections and for all of you who came to play and learn with us.  xoR