One hope for the diverse
families I work with is that I hope they each feel welcomed and comfortable in
my classroom and with me. I know this
course has opened my mind and heart more than it already was and has made me
aware of things I didn’t know existed in myself.
One goal for the early childhood
field: Continue to educate the field on deep culture, diversity, social
justice, and equity at all levels in the E.C. field and make meaningful like
this course has done for me. Self Reflection is imperative.
I want to tell my
colleagues –THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. All of your personal stories
have touched me in some way and I appreciate your honesty and support through
this course. I leave you with this, my
favorite poem:
The Hundred Languages of Children
The child is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred.
Always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child:
to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and at Christmas.
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child:
to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and at Christmas.
They tell the child:
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child:
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says:
No way. The hundred is there.
that the hundred is not there.
The child says:
No way. The hundred is there.
-Loris Malaguzzi
Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach
Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach
Resources: http://www.chevychasereggio.com/poem.htm
Hello Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI think you made such a valid point in saying that our self reflection is imperative, how can we teach the children how to learn part of themselves if we are unable to dig deep into ourselves. I also wanted to say thank you for such a fantastic poem. I love every part of it, and it is so true that we must appreciate the children for who they are and what they have to offer and not discourage them from expressing them true selves and allow them to continue to be curious and learn from that curiousity without condemnation.
I especially love your poem posted and words of hopes for E.C. classrooms. I visited a place this week with three and four year olds which made my jaw drop, stunned me speechless, and I cried going home. Why don't educators and business and politicians understand the needs of young children and stop pushing down rigorous skills and drills and timed out robots for early education?
ReplyDeleteIt has been great having you in this class and I agree I have loved everyone's stories. Kelly