Postcard 2/23

What I really think was inspiring about the past week was a mix between the mindfulness and love that was being discussed in class. Having Laura Hummer in to speak really opened my mind to a way of teaching that is not usually practiced, and it was something that I was not familiar with. I’m really glad that we got to hear from her and I’m really appreciative of her honesty and integrity about everything that she said in class. I think listening to her story really showed that mindfulness is something that really need to come from within, and the love that you have for yourself, talk about by both Pema Chodron and Ram Dass is something that can’t really be taught but it can’t be encouraged. I think that’s what I really want to focus on during my observations at the Thorne preschool. I want to be able to encourage the children’s own curiosity and hunger for learning, or their desire to play or eat or whatever it may be. I think especially in the preschool years, children start to learn how to socialize and see how the world outside of the home really works, and I don’t think it should be a world that shoves unnecessary knowledge down their throats. I think it should really be a time where students are shown the wonders of knowledge and wisdom in a way that excites them for the rest of their time as students. And I think a way to do that is to create almost a structured chaos, allowing children the freedom to explore their surroundings but making sure it is within a well-organized and engaging way.