My Connections to Play

"Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in the child's soul."  Friedrich Froebel

"It is a happy talent to know how to play." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pretend play, dressing in costumes, role playing was one of my favorite child  games to play(Left).

I grew up in a poor environment and had no preschool experiences, so nature was my play and was my teacher(Right).

Puzzles were a favorite activity during Kindergarten.

The support I received when I was a child during play was limited.  I do not remember any teacher interaction or parent interaction.  I do remember centers set up during Kindergarten and having to sign up for centers to make sure that we were not choosing the same center each play time.  The centers were house, giant blocks, kitchen, trains.  I do not recall any others, but do remember loving the blocks because you could build a fort they were so large.   During recess, they children ran around playing on slipper slides, jungle gyms, kickball, etc. 

Today, play in school is more organized with more specific purpose.  I do hope as my children grow that they can experience both worlds.  I never felt as a child pressured during play to "perform", but get the impression that my children do.  At least they did until I chose to home-school due to a relocation.  This opportunity with my children has given me a glimpse into true feelings about everything.  It has been a great experience thus far and has made me a more receptive educator.  

I also think play for adults is good also because sometimes as we grow, we forget how to relax and just enjoy being alive.  This also gives our children the opportunity to see by example.  

Relationship Reflection

Relationships develop anytime there is a connection between two things or people.  These relationships are important because anytime you have to work with another person there has to be some form of a relationship in order to coexist. 

When I was a school age child I struggled with peer relationships and had a low self esteem because I did not understand what was wrong with me.  I did a lot of self reflection as I grew, always asking myself how the other person might be feeling and to respect the other person no matter how “mean” I may think they are.  I also began realizing that I was just fine the way I was and decided to be confident in my actions.   This tactic proved to earn the respect of my peers and in turn I developed many positive relationships.  These actions helped me maintain a friend relationship with my peers without the peer pressure of attending parties and drinking.  When they invited me and I said no, they did not harass me, they simply smiled and said okay.  We were still friends on Monday after the party weekends.  A better example of a positive relationship in my life is my parents.  My parents and I have a common respect for each other in the terms of we are all adults and free to make our own decisions, bonded by love for each other we do listen to each other’s opinions, but respect the other persons ultimate decision.  When we are trying to accomplish a common goal, we respect each other enough to trust and let the person with the most knowledge lead in that situation.  Another positive relationship would be with my best friend.  She is twelve years older than I am and has had different experiences than I, but we both respect each other and are connected by common threads such as her children, God, volleyball, etc.  She does things differently than I do, but we are still bonded by trust and respect.  Lastly, my relationship with my husband is overall a positive one.  Some positive factors that aided in our relationship was remembering to put the other person first.   Again think how the other person feels and respect that.  Another factor is listening to the other person.  We have been married for eleven years and have been through a lot.  Listening is a big thing when it comes to understanding the other person.  Honestly, my husband had to work hard in this department, but because he loves me, he really tried and has come a long way since we were first married in the listening department. 

Challenges in developing relationships that I have experienced is trying to show a respect for someone who you have seen do “bad” things to another person or who speaks badly to another person.  It is very hard for me to “let go” of my negative feelings towards a person like that and to attempt to form a positive relationship.  An example of this for me is my sister.  She is very self absorbed and seems as if she does not care about others when they are in need.   When I stepped back and really watched her, I realized that this is her way of dealing with things she doesn’t know how to deal with.  We still don’t have the best relationship, but we do speak and I keep my negative opinions to myself as she does as well. 

I believe that relationships can develop into partnerships when each person has a shared common link or goal that is important.  Parenting is a partnership because the goal is to protect, guide, and love their children in the best possible way.  Each person has to remember the goal and respect the other’s opinion on how to best accomplish this.  I also think that a teacher, parent, and child is an academic relationship.  This relationship again is to provide the best education to the child, but this partnership in education has to work as a team in order to get across the finish line. 

All these experiences help with teaching.  You need to understand the challenges in order to know how to overcome them.  These relationships that we form with our students and their families are real and ultimately determine how the child will academically develop.