Sarah Felstiner has been thinking back on a few of the strongest memories that jump to mind in her 20 years at Hilltop, and reflecting on how much Hilltop has changed, in a very gradual way, from a traditional neighborhood preschool to an internationally recognized school of inquiry.
Children are naturally playful, and naturally curious. As educators, we want to nurture and encourage this capacity for playful inquiry, and even engage in playful inquiry ourselves. But just wanting to have a program rich in exploration and deep investigation doesn’t seem to do the trick!
When we as teachers create the space and support for children to take risks, we empower them to take ownership of their learning experiences and to take care of one another through physical play.
What do we really mean when we talk about “flexibility” in young children? Where is the value and joy in cultivating this skill, both in the children and in our selves? How can we as adults practice and model it for the children in our lives and classrooms?
What if an entire country developed a compassionate, bi-cultural, strengths-based framework for Early Childhood Education? Could you transform the experiences that all children in that country encounter, and begin to address historical and cultural injustices, by starting with that countries youngest citizens?
As we continue to learn more about professional development, we’ve developed some questions that we ask ourselves informally while planning each faculty meeting or in-service day. We used these questions when putting together the details for a recent in-service day about partnerships with families.
When educators plan the environment to promote discovery and engagement, it becomes another “teacher” in the classroom, another source of learning and possibility. When educators thoughtfully observe how children explore our invitations and provocations, we will know whether something is emerging that is worth pursuing. When, as parents and educators, we see ourselves as researchers and collaborators with the children, we will naturally shift how we spend our time with them.
I didn’t grow up wishing to be a teacher one day. That’s why, when the day came that I looked at my life and realized that a teacher is what I was, I was reminded that sometimes life can lead us in directions we never expected. Sometimes it even takes us back to where everything began, casting a new light on the places we’ve been, inspiring new perspectives and a new way of being.
Are publicly funded programs – intended to help close the opportunity gap – actually widening it, while programs free from funding restrictions have more flexibility to develop innovative, child-centered practices? Are some children being targeted for more direct instruction, and missing out on the authentic communication and purposeful play that they need and deserve? Is PLAY an equity issue?
In honor of Earth Day, here’s a letter written 15 years ago by students in the Sunlight Room at Hilltop Children’s Center. They were engaged in an in-depth investigation about pollution, which began with some spontaneous play and conversation in the block area, and ended up lasting several months.