Observations from the Early School Playground
November 1st, 2023
Now that I am regularly walking to my office by going past the early school playground, I am having quite a few delightful interactions with students that, frankly, are often the highlight of my day. Early school students are always friendly and interested in connecting with adults, and they like to address me by name, even if they add a few vowels and call me “Mr. Marbololo.”
What’s great about students this age is their enthusiasm and lack of filters. This combination often results in interesting and humorous observations and questions. They have frequent comments about my attire. One student asked if I always had to wear long sleeves, and when I replied that most of the time I did, she looked genuinely sad for me. (Now that I think about it, perhaps I should just give up on my sartorial aspirations and simply rock the short-sleeved dress shirt and tie combo.) Another said her dad had the exact same shirt I was wearing - she seemed utterly delighted with this observation, like wow, two men wearing blue dress shirts!
Students this age also engage in serious play, giving it their full attention and energy. And they do not need fancy toys to play. For example, I frequently see students playing with rocks. Nothing else – just a pile of rocks. But these rocks become houses for insects, objects to brush and clean, and things to arrange in patterns. It is always enjoyable to simply witness this play or ask questions about it. Children construct elaborate scenarios around their play and fully engage their imaginations. One of the oddest things about people is that we so often lose this imaginative power as we get older. Accordingly, children have a lot to teach adults about the power and purpose of imaginative play.
It is also heartening to see how students play with each other. Their Montessori training is evident, and interactions are almost always peaceful and playful. Wouldn’t it be nice if adults could more frequently mirror these behaviors? It is also powerful to see how self-regulated these children are. They do not need many adult interactions to have meaningful social and playful interactions with their classmates. The sense of agency I see displayed by these early school students is an important marker of their development and growth.
So when I am having a day filled with many post-fire details that can sometimes weigh heavily, I am grateful that the new path to my office takes me past the early school playground, where the point and purpose of our school are so clearly displayed and such a joy to witness.
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