Journal 6- Imagining New Rules

Vivian Gussin Paley’s book (the first half, so far) not only illustrates the importance of inclusiveness, but also that of imagination. The use of imagination has come to the forefront in another reading or two as well, but it has become more prominent in my thinking just now, maybe because I have to use my imagination more in the recent weeks than I have in a very long time.

I really enjoy Paley’s composition in her book, You Can’t Say You Can’t Play. The intermingling of imaginative stories with her written prose really allows me to contemplate how the use of the imagination can be used in various ways.

Little kids are probably the most at ease with their imaginations than any other age group. We encourage and look for the use of imagination in kids. However, adults also use their imagination, but I would argue that some have forgotten what it is like to really use their imagination, and use it well.

This quarter has brought me face to face with this concept in many arenas, but especially in my drawing class! I am truly thankful to have to use more of the other side of my brain for homework. It has been a challenge, but it has also been freeing.

Just last night, my husband asked if I was going to go work out. I told him no, that I could not afford to lose an hour of homework. He looked at what I was doing and noticed my drawing journal and art supplies spread across the table and told me, “That’s not work, you’re playing!” I gave him that look of “you better watch it” with my eyes and a smile of enjoyment at the same time.

Yes, I had a very large drawing assignment due in the morning, so I was working, but I was drawing, coloring, and having fun doing it. You could not ask for better work. Then I thought, I hope that no matter what I do, whether it being with school or home or just free time (which I have none of) I remain in the position to use my imagination and have fun doing my work.

Now, this has a point in connection with Paley’s book and that is that imagining yourself in someone else’s shoes allows one to see a different perspective. Paley’s entire theme is centered on whether or not her classroom should have the universal rule of “you can’t say you can’t play”: Kids have to be inclusive.

Paley investigates whether this new rule will allow autonomy and a strengthening of friendship among her kindergarteners and whether or not it will be fair for a particular party to change their play in order to include another child who is asking to join.

One way Paley constructs her work is centered on imagination, that of herself and of her students. It is as if the kids have to use their imagination of putting themselves into others’ shoes or making connections to fictional stories to deepen their understanding of their behaviors. I think that is a huge skill for a young child to do and a huge skill for a busy adult to surrender to his/her inner imagination and make connections amongst her students.

Through the use of literacy, art, and dialogue children can begin to deepen their connections of community- which brings me to Ayers. In order for children to do this, they must first have the opportunity within their classroom to wonder, draw on conceptualizing, and make connections to real live experiences. Ayers discusses this in the use of curriculum.

One of the most important aspects of Ayers’ discussion is the fact that students cannot be removed from the making of a curriculum. They have to be inclusive and the teacher must be imaginative and flexible in order to follow the direction that the children lead to. This concept of on an unfinished curriculum is revealing itself more and more in our assigned readings and I find it to be very significant.

This is significant in the fact that in order for children to be active and engaged, they must be able to relate what they are learning to their daily lives. There needs to be an opportunity for a spark to happen in their interests so they can chase it and learn so much more. This, I believe, can be accomplished by having a curriculum that includes the children’s thoughts and ideas.

It is not to say, something that Ayers reiterates, that teachers will lose their authority or role as the teacher, but it is to say that the teacher is a learner alongside the students and should help facilitate, inspire, and encourage their student’s interests into the curriculum. Isn’t this where learning happens, with interest and encouragement? I would think so!

Teachers need to be imaginative in their curriculum in order to facilitate the opportunities needed for children to remain imaginative about the world that surrounds them, which includes both the private and public spaces that Paley discusses. I sense that Paley is trying to distinguish a universal set of behaviors that children can more readily rely upon as they go back and forth from private to public and public to private spaces.

It seems have if our society encourages a double edge sword for behaviors as there are social norms for so many different spaces. However, I agree with Paley that kindness towards others regardless of friendships should be universal and applicable no matter what space anyone person finds themselves.

Nonetheless, I can sympathize with Paley’s uneasiness regarding making the inclusiveness a new rule because should two best friends stop playing what they want to in order to let a third join in? I believe that as teachers, we need to build up the possibilities of being flexible and imaginative in children, for all ages and not only that, but make inclusiveness equitable for all parties.

It’s not fair for the rejected to have to deal with finding something to do on their own and the rejecters to exclude all the time. To make a situation equitable, all parties should be able to come up with different scenarios of play as to include everyone.

Now, I am sure I can say this easily now, but doing it would probably be another step altogether. I have had to deal with exclusive situations with my girls, but after reading Paley, I am wondering if I do the right thing given the situation. On a similar note, I also wonder if I do the right thing, after reading Brown’s Girlfighting, if I solve problems of sharing and fighting in a proper way either.

Brown’s point in Girlfighting is that societal norms of misogyny is deeply engrained in our culture as well as Paley’s point of how one learns how to deal with one’s likeness or not: it’s culturally engrained- and one is going to have to learn how to deal with the ugly situations of daily life, no matter how likeable a person is...

So, the million dollar question is: how do we teach our children to learn to like one another, share, and get along in a world that is so very individualistic and unfair? I see hope in the readings and in my own thoughts and suggestions, but it’s a practice that is probably going to be a lot harder to carry out on a day to day basis. I have no solid answers, but I am eager to work on finding some.