The Child – The True Foundation

S e t t in g t h ec o n t e x t

b y W e n d y E lly a t t

Why are we all here?

Because we care about the future of

childhood

I am mentally preparing myself for the five-year-old mind. I want to come down to their physical limitations and up to their sense

of wonder and awe.

Shinichi Suzuki

And recognise that this period of life sets

the tone for all that is to come

This is a time when we establish the foundations of being passionate lifelong learners

Or that we are somehow lacking and that the process of learning itself threatens our sense of wellbeing

A time when we are curious, questing explorers of the environment

“When I get an idea I think about it, I hold it on my heart for five minutes,

and then I build it and it isn’t an idea any longer.”

(Reggio Emilia - Francesco, 4)

With incredibleinner guides

Each one of us drawn to those activities that most serve our

individual development

And where we have no sense of the difference between work and play

“This is not a free journey, but neither is it a journey with rigid timetables and schedules. Rather, it is akin

to a journey guided by a compass”

Carla Rinaldi

What matters during this time?

That we see early childhood as an extraordinarily important and distinct developmental phase of its own

rather than a preparation for school

That we recognize logic and linguistic capacities as just two of many equally

important areas of learning and understanding

That there are many non-written and verbal form of

expressive language

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

Loris Malaguzzi

And that focusing on any one or two compromises an innate natural balance

that is almost certainly to the detriment of the others

That we respect the natural rhythms and

pace of the child

And allow children the time to develop their own thoughts and ideas

That children also need time and quiet spaces to be reflective

That we are careful not to impose our own adult needs and expectations

And respect the fact that, even if unintended, there are immensely strong links between adult expectations and children’s subsequent aspirations and performance

Allowing them the freedom to be themselves

Freedom from expectations

Freedom from targets

Freedom from fear

Freedom to Grow

Freedom to Unfold

Freedom to Be

“Accept the children with reverence, educate them with love,

send them forth in freedom.”

Rudolf Steiner

That we celebrate each child’s uniqueness

And ensure that children see failure as simply feedback from an ongoing learning process

rather than something to be feared and a measure oftheir worth

What do we need to ensure?

That observations should be about the interpretation and evaluation of ongoing dynamic PROCESSES rather than

static RESULTS

That we recognize our own cultural conditioning and do not

value adult priorities

over children’s natural developmental tendencies

That it’s about HOW children learn rather than

WHAT they learn

That documentation should not focus on comparative assessments

But should be all about learning processes rather than results

That we recognize children as amazing natural learners with their own rights – the source and constructors of their own development

That children don’t belong in isolation but are part of much

wider creative COMMUNITIES

That include NATURE

That a deep connection to nature matters

“direct exposure to nature is essential for physical and emotional health.”

Richard Louv

And this doesn’t mean just outside playground time

That teachers recognise themselves as co-learners sharing the process

and that the PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL MATURITY of teachers matters

with EMPATHY AND INTERCONNECTIVITY at this age as important as QUALIFICATIONS

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so

much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.

Carl Jung

That politicians come and go, but early childhood is just too important to be at the mercy of changing political systems

And that, despite millions of pounds being spent, we need to recognise that the needs and essential nature of the child remain the same

‘To aid life, leaving it free, however, that is the basic task of the educator.”Maria Montessori

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the

lighting of a fire”

William Butler Yeats