Baan Dek

A Child’s Creed

Thoughts & Reflections

Over the weekend we received a flurry of passionate text messages from a parent. “I just overhead a mom complaining about the cost of Montessori,” the thread began. “And, the grandma replied, ‘at that age they don’t really learn anything important …’ After a few moments of silence, as we tried to think of a good response, we received another message:

“ Education reform is a very steep hill. ”

This exchange caused us to pause and reflect. Not only are we working against cultural assumptions, we may even be working against ourselves. Which is to say, so many of us did not have the opportunity to learn at this early age. Instead, we went straight into Kindergarten. In a way, we find justification in this fact, often saying things like, “somehow we made it through”.

There are others, however, who see a real opportunity here, to try to make things better. With this in mind, we reached out to this parent and asked if they would be willing to share their thoughts. Here’s what this individual came up with:

__________
Bobby and June,

So I wrote a billion words about how and what children learn and reforming education …. then I deleted them all and wrote this. Each statement has a pretty deep meaning to me but not sure that’s of interest to your audience. Let me know if you want more. Feel free to add your own thoughts. Feel free to ignore. Sorry if this is too unconventional but you said I could share my thoughts ???? …I just think different.

A Child’s Creed:

Hey Dad, I believe I was created with a unique potential to love. My work and play are the development and expression of my love towards myself, others, and my environment. Yes it gets messy at times.

Hey Dad, I believe I am an amazing soul with a body and a mind. My favorite experiences and relationships captivate all of me. Yes it gets messy at times.

Hey Dad, I believe I am an important part of an incredible world. Becoming myself is my life. Yes it gets messy at times.

Hey Dad, I believe who I’ve been, who I am, and who I will be …. is beautiful!

Hey Dad, I’d like a school that respects what I believe.

Our Montessori experience has taught me that what we believe about children is foundational. Not that everyone needs to agree with everything I wrote but simply acknowledging that a child has an established set of beliefs would have a profound impact on how we educate.

Written by:

Bobby George

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