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SRV 1929 to 2009
November
80 Years Ago
From SRV's beginnings, the act of building was seen as a valuable way to teach children self discipline and essential skills as well as to be creative problem solvers. "Mister," a retired engineer, insisted that the children think and do for themselves. All of the students – boys and girls – had shop. In the first year or so the children built this hen house. They also built their own playground apparatus, a "barn" for rabbits, guinea pigs and a goat, an outdoor kiln, and a brick playhouse.
November 2009
In November there's a feeling in the classrooms that it's time to get down to business. Teachers start to worry that they haven't started handwriting practice yet, or that the students still aren't able to sustain looking at books or reading for more than twenty minutes. They question whether they've been wasting time "just doing projects." Parents begin to get itchy to see some "real" work coming home. And the children start to look around for more things to sink their teeth into.
This is the month when the work that has happened in September and October on building community, establishing norms and routines, and empowering individual students and groups to think of themselves as active learners really begins to pay off. Because they know something about themselves as thinkers and workers, the children are hankering for a challenge. The introduction of a pristine new handwriting book and that first spelling list are met with excitement and eagerness to learn.
At SRV, we talk a lot about "literacy." This is more than whether a person has a certain level of reading proficiency. Literacy at SRV encompasses a child's skills in and enjoyment of narrative and literature, from the three year old looking at picture books or scribbling in a journal, to the Oldest Group students engaging in a discussion about metaphor. It also includes the development of the child's voice, meaning his/her communication skills but also self awareness, confidence and creativity as a speaker and writer.
A game of Kick the Jug gets underway.
This month all of the group teachers have written in their Newsletters about literacy in their programs. They have described what the students are doing in the classrooms with pre–reading and reading, from read–alouds to phonemic awareness and word work, to book groups. They also described what is happening around pre–writing and writing, including drawing and dictating stories in journals, handwriting and typing, invented spelling and word lists, and creative and expository writing. Because it's November, you heard about many new activities and subjects being introduced. The children will be trying to write their names for the first time, practicing in their new hand–writing books or on the touch–typing program.
Since you have seen your groups' Newsletters, and they are all available on the SRV web site, I won't go into detail about what everyday instruction in the traditionally "academic" aspects of literacy look like at each level. Instead, I'm going to write about how "just doing projects" is "real" work, and how crucial it is in the development of literacy. Here are three examples.
Play – Play is the work of children. It is through play that they learn many if not most of the skills they will need all their lives to get along with others, problem solve, and be creative. It is also through play that children begin to develop a sense of narrative and voice. "Pretend we're all teenagers…, and then a robber comes…, hey, I want to be the Mommy!" Using their imaginations to tell stories together, using language to communicate their ideas, taking on different perspectives along with their varying roles, are all necessary skills for learning to write.
In the older years, when play often takes the form of joking and teasing, the children are engaging in the essential work of figuring out who and what they are. Reading social cues, identifying their feelings and personas, and mastering their new language (think of teen slang and text messaging!) are essential skills that adolescents and adults need to be able to function in the world. They also support the development of children's voice, making essay writing and reading poetry both easier and more meaningful.
Drama – All of the elementary groups have hosted an assembly this fall, and every group chose to put on a skit. Drama is such an important activity for children in the development of literacy. For the youngest ones, it is often an extension of play. They develop a shared narrative or adopt one they've enjoyed together, such as "The Three Little Pigs." There's not much difference between the improvised rehearsals and the performances. It's the process of working together, taking on another character, speaking in front of the group (or not), that supports the development of narrative and voice.
Older children engage in much more complex processes in drama, especially at SRV, where we encourage groups to write their own plays. Here again it is literally what happens behind the scenes that is the most serious work – negotiating plots and roles, working out how to make their pieces fit together in a way that makes sense, discovering the tricks of being dramatic or humorous. I love to watch the faces of the children who are in a play but not in the immediate scene being played; they're empowered, thrilled and delighted with their work. And what valuable work that is, especially in the development of literacy skills.
Projects – Why is the Middle Circle spending so much time building models of the school this fall? Projects that engage children's imaginations and hands are interesting and fun. When they require planning, sharing ideas, trial and error, and the integration of multiple learning modalities, they also help children develop a variety of social, analytical and communication skills. Making representations of something real (models, maps, symbols, etc.) is a form of communication, or telling a story (narrative). How is the person who looks at it going to know that it's a sliding board? What story does it tell when you put a tiny person on it? Doing such projects creatively, expressing individuality through the choices one makes (materials, style, color, etc.), develops the child's voice.
Play, drama and projects are only three examples of the kinds of things that have been going on in classrooms this fall, and that will continue to happen throughout the school year. They are fun, and they are also purposeful activities designed to help children develop skills in literacy and other "academic" subjects. They are valuable, serious and real work.
So this November, expect your child to be sharing more about specific literacy activities he/she is doing in the classroom, and the development of recognizable skills such as handwriting and spelling. And listen, too, for his/her connection to narrative and voice. I think you'll hear it loud and clear!
November 1940
(excerpted from weekly teacher progress reports)
Group I (2's and 3's) – Mary Spiller
Children of this age do and should act as individuals most of the time, but it is gratifying to see common interests and enjoyments taking them beyond the sometimes too tightly wrapped egos. Even rest period is coming to have meaning that is more than ten or eleven children on cots at the same time with several adults using all their energies to keep them there.
Group IV (8's and 9's) – Eloise HolmesFriday, November 06, 2009
The daily schedule for the week continued with no breaks of changes, except for Wednesday's work period. The children had heretofore cheerfully done outside group work such as plays, constructing huts, etc. Wednesday, at the teacher's suggestion they were asked to put aside individual indoor projects and to all start working on maps showing their home in relation to the school. By the end of 15 minutes their interest was aroused and almost the entire group was working hard and thinking about roads, shapes of houses, names of people and directions.
Group V (10's and 11's) – Patrick Beatts
The new "Leaves" is well on its way with people writing stories and articles and beginning dictation from the lower groups. Allan is shaping up very well as editor in chief, and shows a methodical approach.
We have begun work on a play and are examining and polishing up four ideas. We shall pick the best one this coming week. They are all fairly good and the group has worked well in criticizing and improving.
Discussions were more orderly and business–like this week and we went thoroughly over the problem of speaking in assembly and arranging programs, with the result that the week's assembly was better than previous ones.
Twelve Turnings
As part of our 80 year celebration, we'll also be revisiting the nature writing of SRV founder Grace Rotzel.
In November life outdoors settles down for a long winter rest. The gay party feeling of October spills over into this month, but gradually this changes into a dun–colored sobriety. Humans settle down too. They have been blown about by all the extra energy left over from summer, and after indulging in celebrations and in far too many meetings to organize something or other, now settle down to business. Outdoors, the painted leaves have been whirled into bedraggled brown heaps, and trees wave free and bare against the sky.
Those faded leaves are still productive for, as they lie on the moist earth, battered by rain, sun and frost, they add their organic matter to the soil. Gardeners count on them for a contribution to their growing things. I saw a garden in late August, after four months of drought, that was astonishing in its luxuriating greenness. When I said to the owner, "Of course you have watered constantly?" the reply was, "Only once this summer." The explanation lay in years of mulching with all kinds of organic material.
Grace Rotzel – 1957
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