Our corridors are lined with pictures of children past and present; their faces are a mirror of happiness, curiosity and pure engagement. Looking at them reminds me of the recent cultural events we celebrated together, where children and educators embraced their shared beliefs and hopes for the future. One of the pictures catches my eye because I had not seen this little girl for some time, probably since the virus took hold here in Victoria. Her name rings out through her smile and her eyes linger on mine. What of this girl; would she still be smiling?
The silence in the corridor brings with it negative emotions and a wondering. How are these children and are they safe?
An historic day in early childhood education saw services close their doors for children, except those who are deemed vulnerable or whose parents are permitted workers. The handful of children who are now in attendance could be viewed as the lucky ones. However the injustice for those children at home overshadowed this good fortune. The challenges ahead and the vision we had for our community would lead us to go beyond our teaching practices into an arena of broader activism. Safeguarding children’s right to early childhood education was at the forefront of our pedagogical thinking, anchored by questions and our passion to support our children and families.
Malaguzzi once said ‘Learning and teaching should not stand on the opposite banks and just watch the river flow; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water.’ (Malaguzzi cited in Edwards, Gandini and Forman, 1998, p. 83) What a wonderful way to explain the important interweaving relationship between teaching and learning. This inspired us to think about the need to advocate for the children at home, by developing a virtual world of education and care.
Learning from Home Program
Complexity can bring about activism and a need to consider and prioritise anti-bias and culturally responsive teaching and learning. When developing our learning from home program, we focused on the culturally diverse nature of our community who, in some cases, did not have access to technology or had linguistic barriers. Yet despite these differences, it was useful to reflect deeply on what it meant to care in this context and discuss this with the team of educators. We reflected on each family and what they needed, pausing occasionally to question and reframe our thinking, using a social justice lens.
Delivering a virtual curriculum wasn’t going to be easy for many reasons, however Ann Pelo reminds us that ‘Teachers who call attention to the ways in which people are different and the ways in which people are the same, honors individuality and group identity’ (Pelo, 2008). Banishing the feeling of otherness in our quest for justice for children who were not accessing our programs, we reflected on our vision for equality.
The decision to deliver learning from home packs to those most vulnerable was greeted with the smiling faces we see in our corridors every day. The gratitude shown by our families seemed to overshadow the current health crisis. The learning packs were seen by our families as a message of kindness rather than a message for learning, but we were spurred on by the belief we were doing this to ensure children would not be at risk or disadvantaged. While we could not visualise or hear children in our classrooms, we were connecting with them either through online platforms or by visiting them at home.
Virtual Excursions
The idea to continue our ‘out and about’ program came from our commitment to include the environment in the teaching and learning process. Rinaldi defined the physical environment as a language, which speaks according to precise cultural conceptions and deep biological roots (Rinaldi, 2013). It can be said that the children’s pictures that surround us in the corridor speak of the history of the place and verbalises what it means to those that have been here. The environment acts as a tool to expand children’s minds from what they already know, and familiar places bring a sense of predictability and comfort. While we could not control the dynamics of the latest lockdown, we were in a position of great influence. So, we sent out several virtual excursions, such as a walk around the neighborhood, the local market and library. We imagined that the vibrant colours would create a sense of virtual reality, whereby children could remember their place, their community or a time when they walked side by side with their friends.
Acts of Kindness
The quietness of our place seems strange, awkward and surreal. Only a few days ago our classrooms were busy, loud spaces, with children engaging in play.
It was fitting that the day before we had to close some of our classrooms, I shared messages of hope from Wee Care Kindergarten in Bondi NSW whose children had sent pictures of rainbows and love hearts to us. Such a wonderful act of kindness on a day where we needed something to replace fear and uncertainty about the future, which dawdled in the spaces left empty by the children. Saying goodbye to our families on this day raised many emotions. Six weeks was a long time for our children and families. We were mindful of the time and its implications for children’s emotional wellbeing. As the children left for the day, we gave them a paper bag, which contained wellbeing symbols of calm and stillness. This coincided with our teaching of yoga and meditation with the children, a successful aspect of our curriculum during the pandemic.
By creating a dynamitic space for reflection, we were able to critically dismantle the current norm, using innovation to change the way teaching and learning looked in our classrooms and beyond. Through a sharing of minds and a strong determination, we have hope for the future and a belief that the silence will be replaced with laughter once again.
