Leaving Space To Grow
Originally published in 2016, Term 4
I frequently reflect on competence and its antithesis, fear, as I strive to run an empowering school. Happy and empowered are intrinsically linked, as my ongoing experience is that we are happiest when we feel ownership over what we do.
A weekly joy for me is watching small children making sandwiches as they prepare for an outing. Fear, competence and efficiency are all at play in this endeavour. Fear as to the amount of jam potentially added to the sandwich (this fear is well founded). Efficiency and competency also get an airing as speed (or lack thereof) and mess (in abundance) are typically on display. I used to have to leave the room to avoid interfering… I now watch the process with joy. By the time the children have spent a few years with us they are proficient sandwich makers, something I consider a life skill. I am saddened that for short term considerations regarding safely, cleanliness and efficiency this is not a universal children’s competency. The view that school is primarily a place of literacy and numeracy contributes to this remaining an undeveloped ability in many children. Furthermore, a spotlight on literacy and numeracy, alienates an exploration of the traits and qualities that will assist a child in getting along with their peers.
Making sandwiches is a simple illustration of how our school leaves space for the children to learn by themselves. Space is important. Freetime plays an important role in our school’s practice and culture, and yet it is something that is not easy to sustain as there is always a worthwhile topic to be covered. Yet the stamp of an FCS graduate extends well beyond academic proficiency: it is seen in the ability to think for yourself and to act on your beliefs. The recent 40th Birthday Celebration of our school was a wonderful affirmation of these qualities. Observing our young adult graduates, it was clear that they brought something special to the world – character. They radiated a quiet belief in themselves, and an appreciation of their ability to determine their own pathway. As children at FCS, their experience of agency, that is, the experience that they had of ownership over their decisions had a profound effect on them, giving them a confidence that they are able to fruitfully contribute to a positive outcome. Freetime, unstructured and unconstrained, is essential for the lived experience of agency.
A clear example of leaving space for children to sort things out for themselves occurred earlier this year on camp. A group of Littlies spent an hour negotiating turns on the swing. That is, an hour passed before the first swing was had. It is a simple act for an adult to step in and organise turns – children readily acknowledge their authority. And many adults jump in as a matter of course. However, I am attempting to train myself to stay in the background as adult decrees deny children the opportunity to negotiate an outcome. In thinking about those we encounter at work, in our families and at social gatherings, we can all identify adults who lack the ability to negotiate and compromise. And in turn, when we are able to set aside our frustrations that being in the company of these individuals brings, we may glimpse the grief that this causes them in their own lives. At FCS, I realise that to enable the children to gain the skills of negotiation and compromise, we adults must allow space for them to work things out for themselves. When I remember this, the children’s (slow) negotiations morph into an hour spent developing an essential skill.
This is not to imply that we adults have no role to play. There will of course be situations in which adult wisdom and advice are required, but my experience is that most settings do not require adult input. Our role consists in quietly sitting in the background while exuding the belief that the child(ren) can work it out themself. A belief in the competence of children underpins the ethos of our school.
At FCS the looking after babies and toddlers is an activity that our children both excel at, and joyfully engage in. The achievement of this delightful connection does not require any great technical expertise or significant expense. The only prerequisite is that the parents of little tots are made welcome, and our students are given some unencumbered time to engage with them. That is, this connection requires an unstructured setting in which the children have an opportunity to extend care to the pre-schoolers. This experience builds an understanding – in the older children – of their ability to bring about a positive experience.
The role of the school is to create a space and to project the belief that a primary age child can look after a pre-schooler. The FCS experience is that the gift of kindness and care flows during these interactions. Our school, in creating this space, and has been blessed through uncountable acts of kindness. These continuous acts of kindness, repeated throughout the year, have a profound impact on our school culture. The FCS experience is one of care and kindness.
It is always a challenge to pick a moment where growth and happiness were most clearly demonstrated. But the Brunswick Street Biggie girls cooking lunch for the whole school rates pretty highly. The sole adult contribution to this endeavour was my discussion with the girls regarding quantity – they had no experience cooking for so many. Having discussed this, no further adult input was provided. The girls headed to the supermarket over the weekend and then spent a morning in the school kitchen cutting, dicing, cooking, serving and cleaning. As the morning wore on, a clear buzz began to fill the school, emanating from the Biggie girls as they became increasingly aware that their meal would be a success. The accolades that they received saw them brimming with pride and joy; they were the heroes of the day. Heading a school where such empowerment occurs is a pleasure and a privilege. And again, this experience did not require much more from the adults than simply stepping aside. Space and faith in our children are a powerful combination, and continue to see our children blossom.
As the year comes to an end, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to our school families for your faith in us.
Timothy Berryman (Principal)