Beginnings
– How I view my practice at the start of my current training –
This practitioner has not chosen to share this information at this time.
Everything. Actually, I feel younger being around them and their unpretentious innocence
helps greatly and creatively my thinking. I would have already quit this profession long time
ago, should I not have taken so much love from them over the years. I have to admit my
personal daily pleasure.
My role in a nutshell can be described as follows: Daily preparation before the class.
Fishing information (any kind of information) directly from parents or children that can
actually help me see or understand specific situations better. Reflect on my teaching or
teaching of other colleagues. Discuss and organize school issues with other colleagues. Avoid
mistakes of the past. Make sure about all aspects regarding health issues or cleaning
matters….
Direct personal learning resulted from active participation in small or big scale projects,
making educational connections among different things, decreasing plastic toys and objects
of lower monetary or educational value, and increasing time for observing children when
playing.
We could actually do some small changes which can have big impact on the learning
process such as constructing handmade table games, or transforming useless things into
useful ones.
Our school has Participated in the programme ‘Schools helping our Climate – Places of Sustainability
and Change’. We participated for a second year and it was offered by Three
Directorates of Elementary Education in Attica which are responsible for
environmental education.
I am really surprised how much up to date Froebelian’s ideas still are nowadays. Especially
his notion regarding the importance of outdoors play and learning through first hand
experiences as well as the parent’s partnership and the role of
community.
As froebel said: I want to educate men to be free, to think (i suppose freely), to take action for themselves.
I would like to deepen my understanding of play through further study, observation and feedback by other people.
If children's play can build their lives in the future on what they are doing today!