You can tell him.

Zach. He's got a ladder up there.

Tchr. What do you think about that?

Zach. It's dangerous.

Tchr. You can tell him.

Zach. It's dangerous.

Paddy did not move.

Tchr still to Zach. Why do you think it is dangerous?

Zach. It might fall off.

Tchr. You can tell him.

Zach. It might fall off.

Paddy. No It won't.  I have it up here to tell everyone that this is my place.

I stayed close by to support Paddy with the ladder and to show Zach that I had listened to his concerns.

Making sense of their world

I felt truly privileged to be part of the learning and teaching today, when I was amongst the active adventurous play outdoors. Louie pointed to the sky and announced "Look an aeroplane."  Ollie and I looked up, and in the far distant sky we too saw the winged object, but as we looked at the gliding, dark, small aeroplane, the wings moved only slightly as would the wings of one of those gliding rather than flying creatures.  At this point I think Ollie and Louie may have thought similar thoughts to me ( I thought it was a crow).   Ollie said "It's an aeroplane bird."  Louie said "Those are dangerous ones aren't they."  Ollie said "They peck peoples heads to pieces."  We continued watching this captivating slowly gliding aeroplane bird and Ollie gave the commentary "It's landed on a tree."  Four ladders were collected from the fire engine play and four boys propped their ladders on the boundary fence, climbed to the highest rung.  Louie joined his fingers to make the shape of 'noculars', followed by the other three.  Two of them had joined with the hope of seeing whatever Ollie and Louie were seeing.  By now we had lost sight of the dark gliding object, but anytime a sparrow landed or left a branch of a neighbouring tree the exclamation was "There it is."

Had I gone straight to information and declared "It is a crow." I might or might not have been correct - I think I was given the wrong information sometimes when I was a child and that wrong information was never challenged.  I do not want to pass on that wrong information for another generation.  Meanwhile I would be removing the opportunity for children to know they can make predictions, form theories, research, test and retest theories.  Safe in the knowledge that their predictions and theories are valued, these children  construct their own learning.  They will be actively involved in the learning rather than passively listening to a teacher tell them what she knows.  What she knows is very limited.  Imagine what information we could find out about aeroplane birds or crows (if that is what they turn out to be).

Today a guest teacher at Lucknow Kindergarten arrived shaken.  She has almost completed her three week practical experience with us, and today a neighbour had rushed out of his house clearly waiting for her with his coffee mug in hand and reprimanded her with all anger about her choice of car park.  (She had been parking there for two and one half weeks.) If she did it again he would report her to the authorities.  Kiri had parked with one wheel over the kerb  resting on the grass of the island in front of his home.  Kiri apologised,  telling him that she had thought she was being helpful keeping the narrow road a little clearer of parked cars. She restarted her car and moved it to suit his wishes.

By the end of the day Kiri said, I have to go out there again. I wonder if he will be there.

Clearly the incident still affected her. 

Vicki said "If he had been to this kindergarten he would know what to say."

Of course, we all had ideas of what he could have said.

"When you park on the grass I feel concerned that the grass will die."

"I feel concerned that your tyres might break the concrete kerb."

(We could only imagine that these were his issues.)

I know that for some ten years  children have left Lucknow with skills in place for telling people when something is wrong. Some of those children are now aged 15 years and younger.

I have always trusted that these children have retained their capabilities in the primary school playground and the secondary school courtyard?  Too much to hope for?

I know that so many other influences and expectations are impacting on their daily lives.