ONE, TWO, THREE…STAR (STAy theRe!)
Let yourself be guided by the child you were. (Josè Saramago)
I take inspiration from a very interesting post written by my colleague Dr. Ludovica Turchetti on her social profile and from an event that happened to me to talk about a topic already addressed on this blog and in other areas, a very hot topic in this period due to the start of the new school year: certifications.
There is very little “hot” considering how it is talked about on many occasions.
My colleague’s considerations are many but I would like to report some points regarding diagnoses: “…why is it so important? Why does that of the child comfort so many parents and give life to so many teachers?… Because it makes you safe, it gives containment, a black and white reference, we immediately know what we are like and we have the joy of not taking a lifetime to understand it. If we can also do it for our children, what happiness, a mountain of effort averted. Out of a class of 22 children to date at least 8 are certified, I always say WHEN THE 8 WILL SMALLLY REACH THE TOTAL NUMBER, BUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN? We will return to differential classes, like in war, sorry, we are very close, in some places in the world they already exist…”
The window of my bedroom overlooks the internal courtyard of an elementary school, I am rarely at home at such times as to hear the children come in, to listen to their mothers discussing the school or the teachers and even less often I can seeing the children play outside during recess time.
As it happens, all this happened in the past few days so I was able to observe and listen to some details that animated thoughts and reflections.
On one of these days that I stayed at home, some mothers stopped in the courtyard after the little ones entered and, talking to each other, they said that perhaps this year some of their children should have done some further research. Some seemed seriously worried to me because I think that a parent feels a strong sense of responsibility if the one who gives this indication is “who knows more than them (the teachers). The themes were more or less the same: difficulty staying concentrated, sitting, staying still, paying attention.
After this discussion, those who are more certain about what to do, those who are still perplexed and undecided, say goodbye and I go back to sleep a little.
Later I am woken up by the children who go out at snack time because the beautiful sunny day allowed it; I raise the shutter on my French window and, as often happens, I sit in my beautiful wicker armchair in the sun with my tea diluted with milk.
This time they aren’t just voices in the courtyard from behind the shutter. This time the image is beautiful and excites me a little. I wonder who knows which of these children is the distracted one, who is the one who can’t sit still and who can’t concentrate.
While they play ONE, TWO, THREE, STAR I see them all very attentive, all knowing perfectly when to stand still and risk being excluded from the game, all very focused on scrupulously respecting the rules.
Yet, I tell myself, some of these children must necessarily be one, two, three of those that the experts believe and suggest that parents do “in-depth analysis”.
At the end of the game I wondered whether the request/claim that adults have towards children was perhaps wrong rather than the latter’s responses.
I wonder if some changes should be made in the school system to ensure that the child learns while having fun.
I also wonder if we adults shouldn’t be able to understand the deeper motivations that may hide behind the intolerance or difficulties of a child who struggles to cope in certain situations.
The little ones don’t know how to say it in words, they communicate in other ways; perhaps we should observe more and be able to understand and see the invisible. I know it’s superhero stuff to “see the invisible” but this is what children think adults are capable of. Let’s not disappoint them.
Maybe we should label and certify less.
Colleague Turchetti says it better than me when she describes certifications as a “comfort” underlining that it is for everyone but not for children.
I know there is still a lot to say and I hope it is done more and more often; Now I conclude because I know that someone has yet to digest the fact that for years they didn’t know that the game said “STAY THERE” instead of “STAR!”.
Children taught me this. My superheroes with amazing powers.
Valeria Verna
Let yourself be guided by the child you were. (Josè Saramago)
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