Sarah Zolan and Lindsay Powers, Pre-K Teachers, Seattle Hebrew Academy
This summer, Seattle Hebrew Academy faculty and staff read You Can’t Say You Can’t Play by Vivian Paley. Published almost a decade ago by Harvard University Press, Paley takes us to her classroom where she institues a new rule: you can’t say “you can’t play.” She records the real reactions of the students, and includes a fictional, fantasy story line to further explore what she sees as a moral debate. This book does a remarkable job of depicting how important inclusive play can be, and we had much discussion about how we bring it into our pre-K classroom. The value of kibud chaverim (honoring friends) is something that we bring into our classrooms.For example, we can honor a friend by cheering him on as he tries to swing on the outdoor rings, or help a friend open her snack. We can also support each other by collaborating and problem solving together.
From Starting Small: Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades (a project of the Souther Poverty Law Center) comes this quote about preschoolers and kindergarteners:
At this stage, comments such as ‘Will you be my friend?’ ‘You’re not my friend!’ or even ‘I hate you!’ are not literal expressions of emotion but rather perceptions of the momentary prospects for play. Although children may experience disappointment and even anger at a rebuff during playtime, such feelings generally reverse at the next positive encounter .
As adults, we of course don’t like to hear such strong statements as “You’re not my friend,” but this quote gives us a little insight into the world of a young child and the intentions and perceptions behind such statements. It is still our job as teachers to gently correct such language when we hear it, but it can offer us some comfort to know that these comments are not always permanent and are a natural part of a young child’s social development. Children who are angry at each other one minute can want nothing more than to play together the next minute!
These are important values to us, and we wonder how we can make Kibud Chaverim more visible in the classroom setting? Could some of you share your experiences with Kibud Chaverim as a catalyst for empathy?
This summer, Seattle Hebrew Academy faculty and staff read You Can’t Say You Can’t Play by Vivian Paley. Published almost a decade ago by Harvard University Press, Paley takes us to her classroom where she institues a new rule: you can’t say “you can’t play.” She records the real reactions of the students, and includes a fictional, fantasy story line to further explore what she sees as a moral debate. This book does a remarkable job of depicting how important inclusive play can be, and we had much discussion about how we bring it into our pre-K classroom. The value of kibud chaverim (honoring friends) is something that we bring into our classrooms.For example, we can honor a friend by cheering him on as he tries to swing on the outdoor rings, or help a friend open her snack. We can also support each other by collaborating and problem solving together.
From Starting Small: Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades (a project of the Souther Poverty Law Center) comes this quote about preschoolers and kindergarteners:
At this stage, comments such as ‘Will you be my friend?’ ‘You’re not my friend!’ or even ‘I hate you!’ are not literal expressions of emotion but rather perceptions of the momentary prospects for play. Although children may experience disappointment and even anger at a rebuff during playtime, such feelings generally reverse at the next positive encounter .
As adults, we of course don’t like to hear such strong statements as “You’re not my friend,” but this quote gives us a little insight into the world of a young child and the intentions and perceptions behind such statements. It is still our job as teachers to gently correct such language when we hear it, but it can offer us some comfort to know that these comments are not always permanent and are a natural part of a young child’s social development. Children who are angry at each other one minute can want nothing more than to play together the next minute!
These are important values to us, and we wonder how we can make Kibud Chaverim more visible in the classroom setting? Could some of you share your experiences with Kibud Chaverim as a catalyst for empathy?