Hooray for Progressive Education!

Today I worked with the two year-olds. Its amazing to see the difference in ability even between twos and threes, both art-related and otherwise. In this class, the teachers who I worked with were named Rachel and Gladys. One thing I found interesting today was the culture that the teachers try to build. Unlike the other classes I worked in where the kids were spread across the classroom during playtime, all playing independently with different things, these kids all played together. If one strayed away from the others, the teacher would call them back. Also, this classroom didn't have any designated boy or girl toys. Even though there were typically masculine toys such as firetrucks as well as typically feminine such as Disney princess-themed purses, everybody was playing with the same toys at one time. Although they weren't told to, the boys all played with the dollhouse and all the girls played with the legos. This doesn't happen just in Room Two; when I was working with the five year-olds last week, one little girl told a boy that he was free to help her make a butterfly out of beads. To me, this culture created by such a progressive approach to teaching is great because it fosters acceptance and individuality, characteristics that AHS and myself hold in great importance. Although it doesn't seem like a big deal, it breaks down sexist barriers. As you can see in the pictures, today in art the kids explored painting on different surfaces, surfaces that weren't flat!

Walking from classroom to classroom on the safety train.