I heard from so many parents as well as teachers that today was successful, maybe even healing, for all of us who have been challenged by the isolation of pandemic life. Teachers marveled at the wonder of seeing children connecting with one another so easily. Humans are such social creatures and it is always a joy to see them play and learn with one another!

Our morning circle centered on a game where children introduced themselves with their name and a dance move that everyone repeated. There was a lot of jumping, spin-jumping, and kicking involved!

During a period of free play, Hamlin witnessed the power of allowing curiosity to guide a child’s academic development. Reed took a very strong interest in Hamlin's name and after Hamlin repeated his name dozens of times, Reed grabbed a clipboard and proceeded to try to spell it. He asked “is there a six in your name?” which then prompted an authentic discussion of letters and numbers. Making the acts of writing and reading a functional and natural part of children’s lives is such an important tool for building lifelong literacy.

We are enjoying developing routines and building norms with the children’s input. That will create a culture that is unique to this group of students, who are sharing a special experience during a challenging time. We hold that responsibility as one that is sacred; helping influence the culture and community of the next generation is deeply meaningful work.