Today, during our Gr.5/6 Writer’s Workshop, we were visited (as we regularly are) by a group of “kindies” who dropped by to share what they had learned and created while exploring constellations. The fact that the Kindergarten teacher and I have a similar view on the importance of celebrating children’s learning across the grades could in itself be an interesting topic to blog about but today’s visit lead us to another important topic: teachers should sometimes just let kids be kids, especially as they grow older.
The “kindies” very enthusiastically went on about their exciting day which started with “Show and Tell” and then moved on to exploring space. Oh, yes, they also took a quick rest after lunch because they were very tired from all the work in the morning. As they were leaving, I commented on how creative their work was and that my wish was that children never lose their curiosity or the simplicity with which they view the world around them. I also confessed that I wouldn’t mind a nap myself after getting back into the work routine. Suddenly, one of the little wonders turned around and said, “Well then, why don’t you guys be kids like us? Why don’t you take a quick nap too sometimes? That way, you’ll think better.”
I wasn’t expecting what happened next. I had a class of junior students agreeing with the “kindie” and asking why we couldn’t sometimes take a 5 minute nap to relax before continuing with our work or having “Show and Tell” once a month to share what’s important and meaningful in their lives. “It’s true Mrs. Oliveira,” one student said, “parents and teachers want us to grow up and be responsible and then they’re shocked that we grow up so fast. If you let us just be kids more often then maybe we won’t lose our curiosity.”
Let’s just say we enjoyed our first nap to a 5-minute classical music piece and we have “Show and Tell” scheduled for the end of this month when students will be sharing an object that has special meaning in their life.
I expect to get a few calls from confused parents…
Awesome post! You have a really cool site here!
Thank you! It’s a huge pleasure to be able to share my experiences, resources, and lessons with what we hope will become a community of professional learners. I appreciate your feeback 🙂