A Helping Hand
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When choosing a location to live, work, or play, one factor that makes a place desirable is the role of community. All people want to feel a sense of belonging, contribution and be accepted for who they are. We want to receive positive feedback from the people around us.
We all contribute to our community through our actions, which have a ripple effect and influence others and our future actions. Our actions support a continuous stream of positive and negative consequences flowing from us that shape the quality of our daily experiences.
The article titled The Benefits of Teaching Lessons Learned in Preschool to Older Kids shares how high-quality pre-school programs emphasize what the author calls “matters of the heart.” The author shares listening, sharing, following directions, managing emotions, and making friends as all matters of the heart. The powerful takeaway is that these factors are taught in pre-school and can continue to be nurtured in elementary school and beyond.
As educators, we can create a community of learners by inviting all the children in the classroom to work together. In my classroom practice, kindergartners through 5th graders work together and support each other through common interests in shared project work. Through shared project work, our school becomes a place of cooperation and collaboration. A school where minds come together and push the boundaries of creativity. Our classroom is a learning community where more knowledgeable and experienced children help other children learn new activities and where adults join in as co-learners.
Through a collaborative learning model, I have observed that the older children look after, the younger children. Older children are patient and kind and teach younger children how to play games, create, and use new tools and materials.
Our actions influence the actions of the children. The momentum we support feeds the children’s energy. If we lend a helping hand and cherish service as a way to build our community, this is what we will sow.