Pedagogista: Our Secret Strength

When I first conceived this post I entitled it immediately.  Then, feeling the enormity of the task of doing justice to the title "our secret strength" I was daunted and didn't add any text.  The posting sat overnight in the preschool blog draft box where one of the faculty members saw it, opened it to read the draft (we have long since given each other permission to read drafts and comment) only to be amused that "Our Secret Strength" was apparently so secret that it couldn't be made visible or written about.  This interchange tempted me to change the article and write about our secret strength as "collaboration" or "sharing without emotional investment" .  Or perhaps,  even better yet,"humor"! 

But, while all of those describe us,   I must take on the original task, large as it is, because, truly, it defines the culture of our school and maps the foundations and boundaries of our community.  But let me take it on this way..in images.

Have a look...

what do you see imaged here as the backbone of our community? 

Creating a lovely box for a classroom's Tool Box of ideas to negotiate social/emotional challenges.

Collaboratively writing and illustrating a story with images of all the children in a classroom. 

Celebrating a child's birthday by sharing a favorite story with the whole class.

Creating beautiful arrangements for Teacher Appreciation Day

Cutting the wax for holiday candles while Star Parenting.

Greeting and engaging the accreditation team. 

Thinking with others about the image of the three year old child. 

Exploring and creating a surprise for the the classroom with the materials the children used in a school-wide year of Tinkering. 

  

The phrase , "our secret strength" comes from Lella Gandini, the U.S. Liaison to Reggio Children and emerged when she was visiting us several years ago.  At some point during the course of her visit she leaned over to me and whispered, "Your parents are your secret strength."  She is so right!