our love of MJ

If you've spoken to me in the last 2 years you probably know that I adore the Lamb's preschool teacher, MJ. I do believe that we stumbled upon a true gem here in our little community, a woman who is smart, intuitive and who loves children and has a natural connection with them.

In those early days of preschool when the Lamb was unsure and scared, she went directly from my arms into MJ's where she would stay until she felt comfortable to walk around and play. In the classroom MJ keeps a 4-foot long sensory table in the classroom which we have found filled with shaving cream, snow, cotton balls, uncooked rice (on separate occasions, not all together). She and the kids hold a daily "meeting" where they sit around the table together and talk. They are learning how to hold a group conversation, how to wait your turn, how to listen to others and respect the time everyone is given to speak.

She is finely attuned to the collective psyche of her little class (8 or 9 kids) and lets them take the lead in what they would like to be taught. She just listens to their talk and watches how they play. She then arranges for appropriate guest speakers to come and talk. She takes out books from the library (with her own card) in accordance with class interest in each topic - which has been in turn, airplanes, construction and building, places in the world including China and Egypt.

In the fall she told us that she figured each child would be able to spell his or her own name by the end of the year. Not because she would necessarily "teach" them formally, she said, but because it would come naturally seeing as they are just "really into letters right now." And she was right. She maintains an orderly classroom where every child is greeted when they walk through the door, and no one ever runs or yells. Not because they are afraid of her, but because she asked them not to.

The other day we were talking about artwork. She said, I try never to ask a child, who has just shown me their artwork, "what is it?" How disrespectful to them, they've spent all this time on it, to them it's obvious what it is. Instead I ask them "tell me about your painting!" Then they can choose whatever detail is important to them, whether it's the colour or the story behind it, whether it's a tangible object, or an emotion that drives that particular piece of art. It opens up a lot more talk.

Well, if I have learned nothing else I am grateful for this, because we do a lot of art around here and the question "what is it?" has never sat quite right with me. Though I never knew quite why. Now I know what I will say instead.