What Do Children Love?

How could high heels help my kindergartners learn?

Quiet Brooke determined her love for shoes would change us all. Because her mom strongly supported her, they found facts galore.

*Did you know men were the first heel wearers?

*High heels were made of a variety of materials.

*They use a system of sizes, widths, lengths and definitely heights.

*Her compelling closure was showcasing several pairs of heels before demonstrating the proper way to walk.

One of my favorite lifetime memories was the day several weeks later when our kids were highlighting their passion projects in front of our whole school. In those days, we were a school of portables built around a large outside gathering arena. This arena had a wooden stage with rows of benches flanked by trees.

Picture Brooke, auburn ringlets of hair, clonking up to the microphone. As with each kindergartner, the audience of first through fifth graders, teachers, assorted parents and visitors all leaned forward, smiling with anticipation for yet another inventive way of learning. Brooke shared about the first high heel wearers (as a historian) and the variety of materials, the sizes and more (as mathematicians and scientists). 

“And now, I’m gowing to demonstwate the pwoper way of walking in high heels…” Brooke looked into her audience and smiled, twirled her full skirt and turned towards me. During her third step, that beloved shoe hit a bowed board the wrong way and sent her tumbling. The crowd gasped audibly. I jerked forward and made the best catch of my life, catching a flying five-year-old in my arms - as delicately and poised as I could manage. While we squealed, laughed and hugged, there actually wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

Our district superintendent, wiping away a tear himself, made a remark later about our school being a unique place where all learned while using everything. Pretty significant compliment! Because not only had we all learned a bit about the history of shoes; but, we witnessed a shy child become a huge risk-taker and end up becoming a champion of our Learning Celebration.

Really, though. Can teachers and kids learn using anything?

When you ask little kids about their passions, you might be surprised. Sure, the usuals are there - ballet, soccer, and drawing. But, dig a bit deeper.

As responsive teachers, we help open possibilities in front of our kids. And we just never know where our curriculum may be headed next!

* Snow globes and cleaning products

* Chipotle restaurants and movie theaters

* Making blueberry muffins and taking care of a little brother.

Little kids lead interesting lives. They come to school already knowing certain things - some, academic; others, more street-smart. Hopefully, all with something they adore. They’ve watched others excel in this passion. They’ve “read” books, looking at pictures and making up words. They’ve seen things at stores or museums or even on YouTube.

When little ones cross the threshold of home to school, we continually exert “Look what you can do already! Look where you spend your time and talents and desires. Thank you for teaching us all about this passion of yours.” (If they don’t have any passions yet, this perspective gently nudges them to consider developing things in which they care and become invested.)

At school:

*Those passions guide us as teachers.

*They enlighten and inspire.

*They connect strangers and create friends.

This perspective in teaching pushes us to help kids discover their passions. Sometimes it’s noticing what they love and simply giving a name to it for them.

Often little kids (and family members) believe they show up as empty vessels, waiting to be filled. I believe though that one of our challenges as teachers is to observe closely, jotting down kidwatching notes of children’s choices of workstations and materials followed by deep reflections:

*Which books are they drawn to?

*What other mentor texts do we need to provide in our classrooms that may be just the thing this child really needs to move forward?

In continually “naming” their inclinations, we lift their interest and make it something important. We raise them from simply being another kid to being an expert on something - one from whom everybody else can learn.

This way of teaching and being isn’t for the faint-hearted though! Interesting passions invite compelling questions. It requires that we take a critical stance, examining our materials and resources to ensure that we offer equitable places of entry for all kids.

*While listening to an engaging read-aloud, one little girl piped up, “When are we gonna get to the girls in this book of scientists, Mrs. Barnes?”

*Similarly, years ago, Purushotham begged me, “I want to read about people like me… and don’t say Gandhi again. I already know about him. There’s gotta be more than Gandhi!”

Not just books about people and nations. But, books about stuff.

When Devin wanted to share his snow globe collection and Brooke’s heart beat at the thought of high heels, I had to creatively approach my classroom library to figure out how I could elevate their loves to something being worthy of spending money on (if I could find it!) And, if we couldn't find it, perhaps we could write it ourselves!

This notion of lifting up children for their interests and desires involves:

*our classroom libraries

*our rotating dramatic play areas

*our exploration time manipulatives.

But, it takes over even more, bringing a flood of home-made, paper props and child-created class books. Children even change their language. (Playing with beads as jewelers? Learning with seashells as oceanographers?)

So, yes. We do study snow globes.

*As historians, we wonder who first created them.

*As mathematicians, we work with large collections of snow globes.

*As scientists, we figure out the right solution for making them work.

*As artists and makers, we create and design our own.

Then, we move on... to learning about restaurants and child-sized cleaning products. Yes, we truly all learn something from each child’s love.

What memory of a child’s passion stirs your heart still? Consider how that love might have impacted learning. Please share your stories, thoughts and questions...