The journey of our classroom as the Third Teacher began at a 2-part workshop given by Toni Pucci and Terie Nocera in the fall and winter of the 2013-2014 school year. Our school was in the first year of embracing the FDK program and I was in my first year of teaching kindergarten! Wow…what a year for learning!!! As the challenge to look deeply at what our walls were saying, to listen to the 100 languages of the children in our room, and to let nature inside began to take root in my heart, my professional teacher life moved a little closer to my own rural childhood and my connections to place. I have always thought that the setting of one’s life figures deeply in the development of one’s identity and place of peace. For me it is the lakes, rocks, and trees of the rugged Canadian shield that holds my roots and my sense of peace.
So now realizing that the door was wide open…I felt renewed, inspired, challenged and free to create a “place” for my students.
It is always in flux. It adjusts to the movement and breath that each child brings to it. It requires work. It is a goal to which we strive. I think about it in relationship to the Japanese sense of Wabi Sabi.
Wabi sabi is not a style defined by superficial appearance. It is an aesthetic ideal, a quiet and sensitive state of mind, attainable by learning to see the invisible, paring away what is unnecessary, and knowing where to stop.
– Wong & Hirano (http://www.touchingstone.com/Wabi_Sabi.html)
I wish that I had been more diligent in documenting this journey through photos…I am missing the beginning. What I have are a few steps along the way. What I will share here is where we are now. “We” is my wonderful ECE teaching partner, Deanna, myself, and our engaging students.
This is a panoramic shot from the door. I am still not happy with the lighting. We keep only one set of fluorescent lights on…but they are still jarring.
A place for mathematical exploration, games, puzzles…on a mirror, or on the floor…it is up to you!
A place for writing – includes drawing, letters, speech bubbles, riddles, maps, plans, lists, comics…the list is endless. You can post a letter to a classmate if you like!
A place for researching, practicing, reading, counting, watching, listening, working, learning… (we need another stump to replace the stool!)
A place for reading, wondering, daydreaming, learning…by yourself or with a friend.
A place for reflecting, calming, sleeping, thinking, healing, learning.
A place for light and shadows. A magical place from 10 – 11 each morning when the sun hits the mirror ball! Choice of loose parts to create, express, explore, learn.
A place for planting, growing, watering, noticing, learning.
A place for painting, sculpting, creating, making, collaborating, exploring, drawing, gluing, taping, cutting, expressing, learning. (Still working on the whiteboard gallery!)
A place for pretending, retelling, playing, singing, cooking, caring, imagining, listening, collaborating, speaking, learning.
A place for building, creating, imagining, planning, collaborating, designing, speaking, listening, playing, learning.
A place for writing, playing, talking, listening, drawing, sitting, collaborating, learning. (We now have cushions for students to sit on around this table.)
A place for discovering, looking, watching, observing, noticing, experimenting, trying, hypothesizing, questioning, learning.
A place for eating, talking, listening, drinking, learning.
And little bits of texture and interest to inspire…
We continue to scour front lawns in the spring to find pieces to replace the trapezoid tables. We hunt through value village shelves, and lakeshore parks in search of loose parts, and keep what is necessary.
Walls speak, centres engage, materials guide, humans relate…and learning is amazing!
I am enthralled by the invitation to learning your words paint. Having experienced your classroom, even as an adult I am drawn into the different areas to look, touch, create, explore and just be “in a sensitive state of mind.”
The environment really is another teacher in the room! What a great lesson for me to learn. It has deeply changed my practice.