To A Better Collective Future

UNDERSTANDING - SHARING - DOING

Step One was detailed in last week's post entitled Step One To a Better Future: Understanding (click).

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Step Two: Sharing

Kendra PeloJoaquin is a pedagogista at Peabody Terrace Children's Center in Cambridge, MA. She and her staff have planned with passion, and they share with empathy. Her blog, Under 3 Roofs (click) espouses the concept of 'Child - Family - Teacher' being one. One with the same goal of assisting the growth of the child to become an independent contributing member of society. Kendra's Reggio Emilia traditional training espouses - "We do not educate children to become good citizens when they grow up, we educate them so that they will be good citizens now". Refreshing perspective, indeed!

Understanding - Sharing - Doing, & Dancing!!!

In her post, she encourages the development of a child's disposition, or non-cognitive skills, emphasizing that adults not "squash" children, but help them to build character with our (parent/teacher) attention and guidance.

 Paul Tough's "How Children Succeed" (click), is referenced in Under 3 Roofs. This New York Times' article reviewing "How Children Learn", provides additional evidence that the child thrives (or not) through the building of internal "character" qualities, such as determination.

After the adult "understands" the environment that is most conducive for the child to thrive in, they (parents, educators, caregivers, and advocates of all sorts) must plan to make a difference, share their knowledge, and then act!

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Step Three: Doing

An organization, PEEP - Parent Early Education Partnership (click) espouses my (Papa Green Bean) growing interest. It has created and implemented the "Under 3 Roofs" concept succinctly. 

PEEP's "evidence-based Learning Together program supports parents to create the best start for their children by making the most of everyday learning opportunities – listening, talking, playing, singing and sharing stories and books. Spending time with their parents and carers in these ways helps children become confident communicators and active learners."

PEEP is about valuing and building on what parents already do:

Three Roofs Under One!!!

• Sharing ideas from parents, practitioners, and wider research.
• Understanding why particular activities help children's later development.

"For instance, one of the main predictors of how well children will get on at school is the number of words they hear in their first two years of life - so talking and sharing books, stories and songs from birth help enormously. And playing with sand or playdough is fun but it also helps develop children's finger control, which makes it easier to write with a pencil later on".   

As the Foundation Years - Birth to Three Conference (click), headlines... "Inspiring Young Minds; Unlocking Potential"

Conclusion:

"Understanding why something is beneficial to the child, makes it more likely that parents/teachers will do it more often." 

I have mentioned many vibrant organizations, who have taken the necessary action steps to making a

better world: one child, one family, one educator at a time. And, it adds up.

Papa Green Bean 'Story Time':

I am reminded of the story of a young man, who, while walking along the shore of a secluded beach, came across a plethora of small fish, who were beached by an unfriendly tide. A little further along, he saw an elderly man picking up one fish at a time and placing it back into the water. The young man approached the tireless worker, and asked, "There must be thousands of fish stuck on the sand, how can you really make a difference?" The man picked up another fish, and as he placed it into the water, he said, "Well, it makes a difference to this one". 

Peace, Papa Green Bean

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