Cassie Dixon, Head of Teaching & Learning
At the start of each year, our Prep students enter their classroom and begin their formal learning journeys. Some of them have already been in childcare settings, but for others, this is the first time they have been regularly in the care of someone other than their mums and dads. This is a huge step in learning how to belong in a community!
As someone who works across our P-12 school, I get to work with students at all stages of their schooling. I am privileged to have lunch with the Prep class every week while their wonderful teacher, Mrs McAlpine, has her break. I must say that my lunch with Prep is one of the highlights of my week. Even in just half an hour, we cover a lot of ground.
There are great conversations being had while the children are eating. Their chatter and laughter bring me so much joy. They love sharing about their days so far – the things they have learned, the games they have played, the books they have read, the food they have eaten, the sparkly rocks they have found; these things are all so important when you are four or five years old. Conversation is a great way for children to learn about taking turns, and about being a good friend by listening to others.
When they finish eating, we talk about the jobs that we need to do before we can move on to play. It can be hard for little kids to have to do a job before they get to do something they’ve been waiting for. However, it’s important for them to learn that as community members, we all need to care for our space. We need to push our chairs in so others can move safely around the room. We put our rubbish in the bin (and hopefully pick up the food we dropped on the floor) so that our classroom is clean, and Kody the dog doesn’t eat something that might make him sick. We put our lunchboxes and drink bottles where they belong so that the desks can be used for other activities. These are all big things to learn as children become aware of those around them, and the fact that their actions impact others.
Playtime can be loud, but again, it is usually full of joy. It is heartwarming to see these young kids welcoming others into their games, and learning how to share. They can be incredibly gentle as they change and care for the (toy) babies, and are so creative in their imaginative play. They build towers and castles out of Duplo, train tracks with apparently spectacular views, and sometimes even spiders out of construction sticks!
Of course, while playtime is a lot of fun, it also provides the most opportunities for personal growth. There are many times when there is no choice but to practice patience, like waiting for our turn with a toy or waiting for the desks to be wiped down so they’re ready for colouring in. We have to learn to negotiate with others, because we can’t always have things exactly as we want. Sometimes there are tears and even anger because someone else has the toy we want, or they won’t play the game we want to play. We have to learn how to cope with disappointments, like the sadness that comes when someone else breaks our creations (either accidentally or on purpose). Even at this young age, children are learning how to apologise and how to forgive.
When we think about it, there’s a lot to be said about the learnings in Prep. This introduction to belonging to a community is setting our youngest students up for life. They are growing in kindness, patience and self-control. They are learning how to care for others, how to consider things from others’ perspectives, and even how to take responsibility for their actions.
These opportunities wouldn’t exist without belonging to a community. There’s no need to be kind, compassionate or caring if we’re not co-existing with others. We wouldn’t need to be considerate or to compromise if we existed in a bubble where everything could always be exactly as we like it. We wouldn’t truly understand the need to apologise and the blessing of forgiveness if we didn’t hurt others or experience the hurt that others can inflict.
Community is a blessing from the Lord. I believe that He has blessed us with this community, where we sometimes experience disappointments and frustrations, but we can also experience joy and belonging. There are numerous ways in which belonging to a community can help us understand more of the amazing love of our Lord and transform us (if we allow it) more and more into the likeness of Jesus.
How is God seeking to transform you through our community?