A Manner of Speaking by Bonnie Neugebauer
96 A MANNER OF SPEAKING EXCHANGE MARCH/APRIL 2016
www.ChildCareExchange.com
A Manner of Speaking
Copyright © Exchange Press, Inc. All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. Visit us at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.
by Bonnie Neugebauer
“Is there a book you would like to look for at the bookstore?” Granddaughter Caroline, age 5, quickly responded, “I need a journal.” And so it was that we purchased a pink journal, just like mine, for Caroline. And when we returned home, we sat side by side to write in our journals. We talked through our day, chose the events to highlight, and wrote exactly the same things, as I spelled out each word and we pencilled in unison. Our entries went like this:
Wednesday We woke up. We had breakfast. We packed up. We drove to Lewes. We collected rocks on the beach. We had ice cream. Six months later we decided to write in our journals once again. Side by side, pink journals, favorite pens in hand. This time we talked about the day and then each of us wrote our own entry. Caroline asked how to spell a word from time to time, but mostly she was fine doing her own thing. After the park and the smattering of snow, we had had cocoa, and we both thought that deserved noting. “Cocoa!” exclaimed Caroline with confidence and pride, “I know how to spell cocoa! It’s easy ‘K…O…K…O’.” “I love your idea! That is exactly how it sounds, isn’t it?” I reply. “I’m going to write that, too.” Caroline looks over and cleverly notes the ‘cocoa’ spelling on my page. “Well, Gramby, that’s another way to spell it.” It feels important to note that Caroline did not choose one spelling; she certainly didn’t defer to the adult’s point of view. At 5¾ she is a confident emerging reader and writer, and she knows her words and her choices and ideas are important. So what is this story really about? For me it is a powerful example of how children and adults can learn together: • We sit side by side. • We share ideas, each making our own choices, accepting that two ideas can live together. • We take turns leading the way. • We acknowledge that each of us has some of the needed information. • We enjoy the process and the sensory experience of using effective tools and beautiful materials. Caroline already knows in her bones how much I love her. But I think she learned here again, that I respect her, that I see her as a co-learner, that I enjoy her as a person, and I value her ideas. “KOKO” was such a brilliant idea. I never would have thought of it on my own. Bonnie Neugebauer is editor of Exchange magazine and co-founder of the World Forum Foundation.
www.ChildCareExchange.com
A Manner of Speaking
Copyright © Exchange Press, Inc. All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. Visit us at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.
by Bonnie Neugebauer
“Is there a book you would like to look for at the bookstore?” Granddaughter Caroline, age 5, quickly responded, “I need a journal.” And so it was that we purchased a pink journal, just like mine, for Caroline. And when we returned home, we sat side by side to write in our journals. We talked through our day, chose the events to highlight, and wrote exactly the same things, as I spelled out each word and we pencilled in unison. Our entries went like this:
Wednesday We woke up. We had breakfast. We packed up. We drove to Lewes. We collected rocks on the beach. We had ice cream. Six months later we decided to write in our journals once again. Side by side, pink journals, favorite pens in hand. This time we talked about the day and then each of us wrote our own entry. Caroline asked how to spell a word from time to time, but mostly she was fine doing her own thing. After the park and the smattering of snow, we had had cocoa, and we both thought that deserved noting. “Cocoa!” exclaimed Caroline with confidence and pride, “I know how to spell cocoa! It’s easy ‘K…O…K…O’.” “I love your idea! That is exactly how it sounds, isn’t it?” I reply. “I’m going to write that, too.” Caroline looks over and cleverly notes the ‘cocoa’ spelling on my page. “Well, Gramby, that’s another way to spell it.” It feels important to note that Caroline did not choose one spelling; she certainly didn’t defer to the adult’s point of view. At 5¾ she is a confident emerging reader and writer, and she knows her words and her choices and ideas are important. So what is this story really about? For me it is a powerful example of how children and adults can learn together: • We sit side by side. • We share ideas, each making our own choices, accepting that two ideas can live together. • We take turns leading the way. • We acknowledge that each of us has some of the needed information. • We enjoy the process and the sensory experience of using effective tools and beautiful materials. Caroline already knows in her bones how much I love her. But I think she learned here again, that I respect her, that I see her as a co-learner, that I enjoy her as a person, and I value her ideas. “KOKO” was such a brilliant idea. I never would have thought of it on my own. Bonnie Neugebauer is editor of Exchange magazine and co-founder of the World Forum Foundation.
