First Day Jitters!
It never fails that I become so nervous in anticipation of the first day of school or class! This new Drop-In Wednesday class provided me with a lot of questions going in:
Will having both arts and science provocations available for the children invite deep exploration?
How can I make the parents feel at ease in this new environment?
How do I make the learning visible to both the children and adults?
Is my daughter ready to share me with other children and adults?
So much of how I teach is dependent on the children present. I observe intently during class but mostly after (reflecting on the pictures) to see what each child is already understanding, about to understand, and what challenges to provide to create a tipping point of thinking.
So, therefore the first days are usually very frustrating for me, because I don't yet know the children. However, after the first class, I have already learned so much.
I felt that having both arts and science provocations available to the children created too many possibilities for exploration and did not invite time for deep investigation with any 1 medium or experience.
Therefore, I'm going to decrease the number of experiences offered so that emphasis can be put on 1 or 2 new things each week instead of 6 or 7.
One thing is for sure, I love getting to know a new group and I am so excited for my own daughter to finally take part in Wonder Studio experiences with other children!
"Being with a child is largely a matter of becoming receptive to what lies all around you. It is learning again to use your eyes, ears, nostrils, and fingertips, opening up the disused channels of sensory impression. For most of us knowledge comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?"
-Rachel Carson
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