” I think the world is going to be saved by millions of small things.” –Pete Seeger Pete Seeger. A name from the distant past, still as relevant today as he was protesting in the 1950’s. As I pull today’s t-shirt out of the drawer, I am comforted by his words. I see Pete Seeger … More Today’s T-shirt Inspiration
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”–Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. My former sister-in-law was born in Mexico and educated in her home country. She once told me that when she moved to … More The Right to Bear Arms?
“When you’re at peace with your life and in a state of tranquility, you actually send out a vibration of energy that impacts all living creatures.” Wayne Dyer There is no denying that these are tough times. Many of us feel, if not in this particular moment, that we are a bit “untethered” as we … More Teachers, you got this!
There is a Jewish concept I learned in my meager religious education: we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. As a child, I felt the power of those words, imagining the bodies of generations of people, holding others as they balanced on those below, small children at the top, nearing the … More Paying it forward with authentic listening…
“Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and then, if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before.” ― Loris Malaguzzi Darla Conkey Meyers is a humble genius, preferring to bring the totality of her own creativity and understanding young children to cultivate the … More Teaching from the Heart: Darla Conkey Myers and Reggio Emilia.
“On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur.” –Antoine de Saint-Exupéry When one thinks of teaching science, one often becomes overwhelmed with the idea and responsibility of topics and the mass of information changing almost daily. Many schools today hire special science specialists creating curriculum that adds to the daily lessons about reading, writing, social studies, … More Science Education: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”
“Once we accept that a living creature has feelings and suffers pain, then by knowingly and deliberately inflicting suffering on that creature, we are guilty, whether it be human or animal.”–Dr. Jane Goodall As educators we know that the true name of the animal in the title of this essay is “sea star,” and most … More It matters to the starfish…
No one has been a better steward of our world than Vivan Gussin Paley, who left us on July 26, 2019. As a very young teacher and mother, I discovered her work, beginning with Wally’s Stories. Paley worked with young children, many of them challenged with emotional wounds from their home lives. She spent her … More Vivian Gussin Paley: Helping our world through listening to children.
How often we focus on the product of children’s work! It’s important to reflect on what children have done, to discuss our intentions and outcomes, and to plan for the future, but what about the children’s interactions during the process of creating? I’ve heard it said that teachers often use “play time” for getting chores … More Children at Play
Growing up in Los Angeles, where the weather is great all year, one takes the natural abundance of fruit and vegetables for granted. You might think that a garden is an extravagance, particularly if you are a school or if you lack a green thumb. The reality is that as parents and educators we would … More Can you afford not to have a garden?
