Since the beginning of the West Wing, our intention has been to build community through relationships. With thoughtful observation and planning, we saw our intention come to life in our day to day practices throughout our school day both indoors and out. The children’s relationships with each other and with the teachers stretched and grew while they experienced the joys and challenges of learning together.
With the shift in our current context, our pedagogista, Kris, challenged us to wonder how these relationships could be sustained and strengthened when some children could no longer share a common space and space itself grew wider between us. In planning for our East Wing year, we drew inspiration from our history of understanding how transparency (the ability to see through to other possibilities) plays such an important role in connecting us to each other. With this in mind, we designed a plexiglass wall with Beto (our trusted friend and “go to” NSW handyman) to bridge the two groups visually together. We hoped this would become a window into the life of the other classroom and become a space for encounters, stories and relationships.
With the children’s return, we intently observed with our eyes and ears. As the children began noticing one another through the plexiglass wall, their faces lit up as they exchanged waves and smiles. Yet their efforts to verbally communicate with each other were muted by the wall. With this realization, we wondered how the children would face this new challenge with ingenuity.
Aloe Group
Mia: I see Penny. Hi Penny…. She can’t hear anything.
Adriana: What should we do? I wonder how we can communicate with her?
Mia: I can make her a note and ask her.
Note reads: Penny, what’s your favorite color?
Poppy: Now you can show the note to her on the clear wall.
August: She can see it! Susan is reading the note to her.
Penny shouts: It’s rainbow, that’s my favorite color.
Mia smiles: I’m going to draw a rainbow for Penny.
Adriana: Now how can we give it to Penny?
August: I know how! You go out the door and go around the middle and their door is open. You can run in there fast and give it to her and come back.
Poppy: Maybe under the wall on the bottom, pass it there!
Adriana: Let’s look.
Poppy: Oh no, that’s not a good idea. It’s all covered.
Adriana: And remember why we have two groups?
August: Because we can’t mix yet.
Adriana: Yes. We made two groups so those friends can use the space and we can use this space.
Basil Group
Jack and Rufus write notes to their family.
Rufus: I have a letter and my dad can open it up and look at it.
Susan: Wow, you figured out a way to communicate with someone who isn’t here! I noticed earlier, it seemed like you were trying to say hi to Adriana and she couldn’t hear you. I wonder if you could send her a message?
Rufus: She can’t see it. You can’t send it to her!
Jack: You can show it to her.
Rufus goes up to the plexiglass and shows Adriana the note he created for his papa: Adriana, this is for my papa. Tomorrow, I will make you one.
Jack: I’m going to make one for Adriana right now.
Rufus: Me too. I need that (picture of himself) so she knows that it’s from me. I want it to say, ‘hello’.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/89iz23cjxi9rbtp/AAAn8vCOcIzwguX3mJ2VA0TAa?dl=0 HIGH resolution photos available here.
Swept away by our own excitement, we delivered the first set of notes through visible barriers. After reflecting as a team, we recognized this was not a reliable system because it required a teacher on the other side to see, read, and convey the message to the intended recipient. We wanted to put the agency back into the hands of the children. In order to realign ourselves with our intention, we planned on challenging them to brainstorm ideas for how to solve this exchange problem. We will pose questions at a reflection meeting to see what new possibilities they invent and keep you posted.
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