{"id":1286,"date":"2015-06-09T16:22:21","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T20:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familyengagement.nipissingu.ca\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2019-07-22T15:21:10","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T19:21:10","slug":"birds-bees-butterflies-and-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpms.nipissingu.ca\/familyengagement\/2015\/06\/09\/birds-bees-butterflies-and-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Birds, Bees, Butterflies, and Children!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Birds, bees, and butterflies fly busily from one flower to another, unintentionally pollinating, making\u00a0\u00a0plants healthier, stronger, and a little more resilient to environmental factors. In the same way, children flit busily through the many contexts of their lives \u2013 family, school, and community \u2013 unknowingly sharing energy, enthusiasm, and excitement wherever they go. As adults who plant and nurture\u00a0their gardens, we play both a lead and supporting role in what they share and how they share. Active listening and intentional action make all the difference in the world and will, ultimately, produce stronger family-school engagements that can weather the storms of life.<\/p>\n
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A Note to School<\/strong><\/p>\n
Before I was even in the door of the house, I was talking about our classroom menagerie:\u00a0I am so excited about Lovey and the other hatchlings, the cocooned caterpillars, and the tadpoles that are growing legs. When I play outside, I look for evidence of other life cycles. I\u2019ve even created a habitat for ants, ladybugs, spiders, and worms. I\u2019m supposed to keep it outside, but sometimes it makes its way in \u2013 at home and at school.<\/p>\n
Thank you for the inspiration,<\/p>\n
An energized child<\/p>\n
P.S., I enjoyed last week\u2019s \u2018surprise\u2019 teacher when you were absent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
The energy, excitement, and enthusiasm of a child that are carried spontaneously and naturally between family, school, and community just might be one of the most authentic solutions to the disconnect experienced by some as a result of previous negative experiences. This, however, will not occur without both intention and attention on everyone\u2019s part.<\/p>\n
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Do we recognize children as a critical component of family-school engagement?<\/li>\n
How do we ensure that children do not bear the weight of perceived lack of family-school engagement?<\/li>\n
How do we ensure that children, families, schools, and communities share the good along with the bad, recognizing that it is all engagement?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpms.nipissingu.ca\/familyengagement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2015\/06\/Screen-Shot-2015-06-09-at-3.56.08-PM.png\")
Birds, bees, and butterflies fly busily from one flower to another, unintentionally pollinating, making\u00a0\u00a0plants healthier, stronger, and a little more resilient to environmental factors. In the same way, children flit busily through the many contexts of their lives \u2013 family, school, and community \u2013 unknowingly sharing energy, enthusiasm, and excitement wherever they go. As adults who plant and nurture\u00a0their gardens, we play both a lead and supporting role in what they share and how they share. Active listening and intentional action make all the difference in the world and will, ultimately, produce stronger family-school engagements that can weather the storms of life.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpms.nipissingu.ca\/familyengagement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2015\/06\/Screen-Shot-2015-06-09-at-4.01.11-PM.png\")
Before I was even in the door of the house, I was talking about our classroom menagerie:\u00a0I am so excited about Lovey and the other hatchlings, the cocooned caterpillars, and the tadpoles that are growing legs. When I play outside, I look for evidence of other life cycles. I\u2019ve even created a habitat for ants, ladybugs, spiders, and worms. I\u2019m supposed to keep it outside, but sometimes it makes its way in \u2013 at home and at school.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpms.nipissingu.ca\/familyengagement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2015\/06\/children-go.jpg\")
<\/a>Children are more than capable informants, reporters, even directors of their own lives, if they have the comfort and support of a \u201cmore knowledgeable other\u201d (Vygotsky, 1978). Without even realizing it, they contribute, in a very powerful way, to family-school engagement. It\u2019s hard to not share in a child\u2019s excitement, or a child\u2019s sadness, about something that happened at home, school, or in the community. While so much of this is child-centred and spontaneous, there are some practices that increase the likelihood of\u00a0these connections.<\/p>\n