Mitch Albom is one of my favorite writers/authors. He is a good man with character...GOOD...and...CHARACTER, two oh so simple words are oh so hard to come across these days. I read an article this Thursday, November 10, 2011 in the sports section of the Detroit Free Press by Albom. He wrote an article: Paterno's Legacy Is Not The Real Issue Today. In this article, Albom explains the tragedy here is NOT *JoePa*!!! It is the VICTIMS (the children)!!! Albom says, "When scandal erupts, the American way is to howl for a scalp." JUST WHERE IS America's focus? This tragedy reminds me of the lesson that we shall all learn (especially as educators) that the center and focus of education is the ~*CHILD*~. In my last blog entry, I wrote about Reggio Emilia. Another belief of Reggio's that I would like to mention is the astonishing faith, trust, and hope they have in the child as a learner and seed of knowledge. This seed will flourish in the proper and cultivating environment. They use the metaphor of the chicory. The chicory is a wildflower that grows abundantly in Italy (and along~side roads in Michigan, noticably in the spring and summer months in northern Michigan)...when the chicory is pulled from their natural environment, they quickly die...even when you place them in water, they will not survive...they thrive in their *natural*environment*.
"Children are not only our furture, which we invest in by oppressing their dreams and freedom to be something other than we would wish them to be. They are our present. The child is not a citizen of the furture he/she is a citizen from the very first moment of life and also the most important citizen, because he represents and brings the 'possible'...the child is a bearer, here and now, of rights, of values, of culture: the culture of childhood. He/she is not only our knowledge about chilhood, but childhood's knowledge of how to be and how to live."
(Rinaldi, 2006, In dialogue with Carlina Rinaldi pp.171)
Finally, many of Reggio's educators and auxiliary staff don't necessarily obtain "certification" to prove they're "qualified"...no, instead, what matters most is ~*H*u*M*a*N*i*T*y*~...
Closing thought...in the Reggio *way of being*...there is NO hierarchy in occupation...I mean, betweern Atelieristas, Pedagogistas, and Auxiliary (support/cleaning/cooking) staff...they are all equal...
because they are all part of the bigger picture...without the other, the whole of the *being* is compromised.
"Life is not a math equation.
You can be a good man who did an inexcusable thing,
You can be a good man who did an inexcusable thing,
and an inexcusable man who does one great act."
~Mitch Albom~
~Mitch Albom~
I have been a fan of Mitch Albom's for some time also. I read same article in paper and thought it sad that he had to explain this to so many-that these words still needed to be said.
ReplyDeletePlease keep this blog going after you leave 5650. I can not imagine any educator reading these entries, and not coming away feeling that their school would not be better off, having you as a part of it's family. :)
Deb, have you read Tuesdays with Morrie and Have A Little Faith??? They are my absolute favorites :) I was actually required to read Tuesdays with Morrie by a college professor and I am forever grateful that she introduced me to the work of Mitch Albom...I was a fan ever since!!! I was so inspired by my professor that I buy the books for the high school students I worked with last year. AND I promise I will continue to write after AED5650...AND a deeply ((SINCERE)) *THANK*YOU* for your thoughtful words :)
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