One of Opal School’s values is A powerful image of the young child as intelligent, creative, and capable with gifts and abilities that the world needs. Loris Malaguzzi writes that your image of children is where teaching begins.
We love hearing from colleagues beyond Opal School’s walls regarding how Opal School is provoking fresh thinking. Today’s post comes from Sarah-Luella Baker, who presented at our 2014 Summer Symposium. It is co-posted from the Tulip Tree Preschool blog. Matters of Opportunity. Does opportunity matter? Journals from the Atelier – Sarah-Luella Baker, Tulip Tree Preschool …
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There were nests, everywhere. Giant nests made of branches; smaller ones built of tinsel and string; tiny ones of clay and sticks. It started when one of the children discovered a nest outside and brought it into the classroom. One of the teachers was terrified – it played right into her deepest phobias regarding birds …
At the end of September, Matt Karlsen and I spoke to several groups in the Vancouver area about conditions that support playful inquiry. Over the last few years, educators in British Columbia and Alberta have shown a great deal of interest in Opal School’s work: it responds to their curiosity about the intersection of inquiry …
Read more “What does holding a strong image of the child mean in a complicated world?”
“A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson In the first few weeks of school we have witnessed the children’s joy, wonder, curiosity and strong desire to be in relationship with their classmates and teachers. Immediately we noticed children finding ways to connect through common interests and mutual experiences, …
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What happens when a group of 9, 10 and 11 years olds who have been together as a learning community for over a year spend a night and two days in a new place where they are invited to: take physical, social and emotional risks, count on each other in ways they hadn’t previously imagined, …
“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” –Tim Cahill “I think this is our destination… Yes it is!” – shouted by Seba upon reaching the Upper Meadow last Thursday, our first hike together. When we consider our “Dialog with Place” at Opal School we cannot forget our rich surrounding natural …
Camp Collins. Thirty hours of being together, facing new challenges and getting to know ourselves and each other in very new ways. On Friday morning, the students were asked what mental images from the previous day’s experiences were standing out in their minds, they wrote the following: The Giant’s Swing It felt like freefall… …
So much of this time of year is devoted, implicitly and explicitly, to community building. Following are some photos of what community building looks like in Opal 4. This week, Opal 4 will travel to Camp Collins, a YMCA camp outside of Gresham, to immerse ourselves in a different kind of community building. We …