I struggle every day with the system. I am an educator in the Ontario public system and it’s so hard to know what I do every day can cause harm. Children playing and building skills at their own rate builds confidence and the drive to learn more and take chances. I’m not saying there’s no room for explicit teaching but maybe it’s done in small amounts of time throughout the day. In smaller groups tailored to how children learn. I read articles like this and feel like there’s others out there that see what I do but I still feel alone treading water. I wonder if our children feel the same?.
That's why i opted out of the public school system and sent my kid to Montessori private school instead. Totally worth it. Lots of play time, lots of free time for kids to explore their interests, learning skills to take care of their environment. Not saying that's the option for everyone, but that's the Upton that worked for us.
I struggle every day with the system. I am an educator in the Ontario public system and it’s so hard to know what I do every day can cause harm. Children playing and building skills at their own rate builds confidence and the drive to learn more and take chances. I’m not saying there’s no room for explicit teaching but maybe it’s done in small amounts of time throughout the day. In smaller groups tailored to how children learn. I read articles like this and feel like there’s others out there that see what I do but I still feel alone treading water. I wonder if our children feel the same?.
This - "What if our aim for childhood was to allow children time to grow into themselves?" - was my goal for my children.
Lovely.
You reminded me of Marion Milner's On Not Being Able To Paint
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/On_Not_Being_Able_to_Paint.html?id=zNCsAgAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y
That's why i opted out of the public school system and sent my kid to Montessori private school instead. Totally worth it. Lots of play time, lots of free time for kids to explore their interests, learning skills to take care of their environment. Not saying that's the option for everyone, but that's the Upton that worked for us.