From Wendy, Upper Elementary Guide:
I am very excited that we are settled in to our new classroom enough that we can start being active members of our wider community. Starting on Monday, two Marrone children, based on sign ups that we’ll do Monday morning, will visit the Toddler Community for 45 minutes at a time to provide calm, patient, mature help. They might be playing ball on the playground, helping open a container, help with a zipper etc…. We hope to continue this work through the entire year, and that it simply becomes part of our Marrone experience.
This work is valuable in so many ways. Working with children keeps us in touch with our humanity and with what’s truly important. It reminds us of our own struggles in the past and how they my seem insurmountable at the time but that we grow through them. It reminds us that learning takes repetition and that it often includes falling down, whether we’re two or twelve. I’m looking so forward to these interactions and to being able to incorporate the lessons learned into our immediate community. It’s also just fun to be around toddlers!
UPDATE: Two Marrone community members a day have been visiting the toddlers. They come back to the classroom with smiles on their faces and they often share what they helped with: serving lunch, pulling up pants, playing ball, reading aloud, blowing bubbles…. I may have to sign up for a shift myself!
From Kisha, Toddler Community Guide:
I bet you have been hearing about ‘big kids’ being in our classroom from your children, and they are right! This week, children from Upper Elementary have been coming to help in our Toddler Community. They have been assisting our children with lessons, setting up lunch, playing games outside, and zipping up their jackets. It has been quite the experience watching the Marrone students interact with our toddlers. We are enjoying every minute of their company!