I'm leaving the three, four and five year olds, and heading up to Grade 2 (which in UK is called Year 3).
There's so much I love about the way we work with the youngest children, and I'm hoping I'll take some of that with me.
Just two of the things for now, illustrated with two photos from the last week of the summer term.
Estelle on Sports Day with students
We join in
We don't want that 'I am the knowing, observing, and assessing adult' hanging over the students. We break that down by playing alongside the children. Plus, we have fun, and see what it's like to do the things they're doing, and we get ideas.
Rachel at the making table with two students
We are quiet
(Not always of course)
We can sometimes be larger than life, charismatic and inspiring, but lots of the time we are quiet. The students have the agency. We are with them, but not dominating the situation. The students know what they want to achieve. It helps to have us there, and there can be good conversations, but mostly it's the students concentrating on what they're doing.
These are two of the things I want to take with me.
