Mr. Jack

Here in Room 132, we are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. (You can read about the approach here.) In this approach, we believe in 3 "teachers"....the adults, the environment, and the community of children themselves. It's amazing how much the children learn from each other.

Today highlighted the role of students as teachers clearly. Jack's family sent in a craft that he enjoyed doing at home. He brought all the materials and wanted to teach his friends. I pulled him aside and helped him set up the centre. Then he invited three friends over to try it out.



Jack - Today, we're making dinosaurs. So, first you need to paint the plate. I made all these at home so you'll know what to do.

Maya- Jackie's the teacher! Jackie's the teacher!

Mr. Jack took care of his student's needs and was very encouraging. He even gave some descriptive feedback to help his students do a good job.

"Here's a paper so you don't get paint on the table."

Jack- Almost done, Hamish! But you've got to make it all...see like that (points to middle). Do it like that. Maya's doing a good job! Especially the middle. Ari, you too. See how Maya's doing hers? It's good.

Ari- How are you doing it so quick Hamish?

Hamish- Super arm never gives up!

Jack- It's not a race guys!

Jack- You don't have to paint the back, cause you're not going to see it. You're going to fold it. See? You won't see it."

Ari- What are we gonna do after painting?

Jack- Well you put it on the drying rack. Then you're going to put out the other pieces. If your paint isn't dry, I'll call you back in say...20 minutes.

Mr. Jack continued helping the children until it was time to tidy up, which he did himself without being asked.

After the activity, I asked Jack to reflect on his experience as a teacher.

So Jack, what was the best part of being a teacher?

I got to help the kids build things.

What did you teach them?

To make dinosaurs, and to be kind, and to share.

What was the hardest part?

Cleaning up the whole table by myself!

I noticed sometimes everyone wanted help at the same time. How did that feel?

Actually that was the hardest part. Harder than cleaning up. I was like "Can you stop for a sec? You gotta be patient." It was soooo hard when they weren't patient. I can only do one thing and it's hard to do two things at once!

We are so proud of our guest teacher today and his students. They worked hard, learned from each other, and also got a taste of what it's like to be a leader.