The goal of education

Yes!

My 18 year old daughter constantly calls me out on this! While me intent is good - I want to verbalize encouragement and support - sometimes my responses to children are "almost automatic" lacking specificity.

To me, this "readiness" emphasis implies that they're not OK now. This has always bothered me...

This jumped out to me... to "innovate" and be "progressive" implies a constant striving towards new ideas

From what we've read thus far, I understand that schools are "free" and also hold unique identities. This is a struggle in the US education system I believe - to blend "public" and "individual" rather than trying to devise a one-size-fits-all method.

The wording here elevates the image of the educator so much! What a contrast... "child minding" vs "observation, research and experimentation."

Learning as a social construct.

Ah...time! I treasure the perspective on time experienced by children. I question whether adults "do not want to have" time or if they have forgotten what it means to have time.

This is so true...So often we come to profound realizations during "Big" events (traumatic or joyful). The impact of these realizations often wane as we get further from the stimulus. It is in adopting these practices to the every day that they hold the capacity for true lasting change.

Whoops! My mistake. I read this chapter in a physical book and did not highlight and annotate on this copy. Sorry! Abby

Adults often are in such a hurry and calling the shots. School could offer a different paradigm

This is an "ah ha" for me! When discussing feelings with the children, we've used this same terminology. They don't like being sad or angry so it's hard for them to feel 'OK" with it. Reframing this as a "right to feel your feelings" is a shift.

I believe in staying open to this process, creativity and the ability to understand more languages will blossom.

I feel like this could be broadly applied. This makes me think of people who don't share the same language, as well as non verbal adults.

This is fantastic! I would love to do this in my school.

Love this one! So often adults want to know what happened when a child is sad or hurt. The intention is good, but it can be such an invasion of space.

I want to ask myself this often as we go through our school days.

I hadn't thought of "overactivity on the part of the adult" leading to passivity in children - yet it makes so much sense. Something I'm pondering as our school year is about to start is how to balance building relationships with not interfering.

Yes! And how very difficult this can be. This reminds me of the Rinaldi chapter when she spoke of being "open to crisis."

The emphasis on knowing a child and then co-creating the environment with that knowing in mind is so rich! The concept of a fluid environment is in such contrast to mainstream methods that emphasize pre-planned lessons with a specific outcome in mind.

Wow. I feel emotional reading this in light of the divisions in the US. What unites us while preserving our individualism? What "work" can we engage in that will build our "sense of solidarity?"

I love that this paragraph elevates the image of the teacher as she learns alongside the child. It seems teachers are often tasked with proving their value either by being an "expert" (essentially a power role of adult over child) or by measurable outcome of her students (standardized assessment).

Again - really important use of language here! This makes me want to look critically at how we're viewing the role of parents in my school.

Such an important advancement of language

As a member of a small group of parents that worked tirelessly to create a new school in our community, this speaks volumes to me! I took for granted that the energy invested in those first few years would be lasting. It takes intentional effort as well as a need and desire for family input to continue that important partnership.