The theme of this Monday's walk-and-talk is the effect of an adult's power when they intervene with kids, from a place of good intentions. It's part of September's general theme of power dynamics.
Among the adults I tend to meet, there is general agreement that the purpose of child-rearing is to help children become effective adults. As such, when these adults interact with kids, it's from a generous place - when they intervene, it's with good intentions.
This intervention is a delicate matter. As I mentioned in our September newsletter, since there is such an adult/child power imbalance, whatever kids are doing is greatly influenced when an adult gets involved. Kids are quick to dumb themselves down or shut themselves down (they become "childish") when an adult gets involved. It's easy to hear: Kids' full-voiced engagement becomes meek.
A common reason for intervening in kids' play is to correct a kid's manners. Another common reason is because the adult has a suggestion for modifying what the kids are doing.
We'll tell stories about the effects of these interventions. When is it worth the disruption? What are some strategies to balance the adult/child power dynamic? How can adults enjoy being around kids without taking them out of the deep engagement that kids are experts at creating?
When well-intentioned disruptions can be replaced by power-balancing strategies, you will be able to witness this deep engagement with life that kids have instinctively. You'll become someone who "sees it" when they walk into a Sudbury-model school, and you'll want to help grow a school that supports kids' in-born drive to grow up.
The walk-and-talk meets Monday at 7:00 in front of City Hall, and we begin walking at 7:15.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment