news & trends
Jack arrived, a bit anxious, for his first day of school at Abington Friends, a private elementary school in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Would he have to talk to anyone? Would he like the teacher? What would he fingerpaint? Understandable fears for a kindergartener. Only this one is a 36-year-old lawyer who normally spends his day putting together million-dollar deals, not Lego blocks.
Every Saturday for the last year, Betsi Carter has opened her classroom to about 10 adults. They spend 3 1/2 hours getting to understand what it is to be a child--and what that requires of parents.
Smith, who has been working with five-year-olds at the school for almost a decade, long searched for a way for parents to get a kid's eye view of the discovery process kindergarteners go through. With true kindergarten logic, she decided to show them rather than tell.
One of the first things to bring them up short is choice--kindergarteners get to choose their activity. If, say, it's painting, they pick the paper they want, the paints to use, the colors, and decide what to design. The opportunities are limitless. To parents whose biggest choices usually involve what kind of sandwich to have for lunch, that can be a real eye-opener.
