“This bridge will only take you halfway there, to those mysterious lands you long to see. Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fair, and moonlit woods where unicorns run free. So come and walk awhile with me and share the twisting trails and wondrous worlds I’ve known. But this bridge will only take you halfway there. The last few steps you have to take alone”
n Shel Silverstein
I chose this quote because I believe if we as educators do our job well providing children not only appropriate resources, but opportunity for exploration and discovery, we will have prepared them for the moment they begin their journey alone. We must open doors that bring children to new worlds where they desire to learn from. We must stand beside them, holding their hand, sharing what we know while building and expanding not only their mind, but supporting their social well being. We are the bridge, strong and available that helps scaffold children to the next level of discovery. As the bridge, we need to remember not to give children the answers, but we must instead give them questions that will ignite their thinking and imagination.
Thank you to all of you—I feel as if all of you have helped contribute to my growth. The exchange has been enlightening and I feel I have been provided a venue to express my views openly. All of you provided me with many opportunities to gather new knowledge pushing me to be a better student and a more inquisitive researcher. I wish all of you the best, and I hope we can once again share in a learning experience down the road.
Geof,
ReplyDeleteThank you for such powerful words. I too believe that we are the building bridge and thus we have to provide those opportunities for children to engage in active learning experiences. When we do that we are helping each child to grow in their ability to think, and reason,to understand themselves and relate well to others.
Thanks!
I have several Shel Silverstein books and enjoy reading them with my children. My favorite will always be "The Giving Tree." How much more can we give to the children we work with to help them on their journeys through life? Your blogs have been enjoyable and I have learned so much from them! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the passion and wisdom you shared at DB and Blog postings in past two caurses and hopefully I will see you at the next course as well.
I agree with your explanation on the quote. Yes if we do our best for the children that we encounter, the bridge will be strong enough to take them over to the best possible destination for each one of them.
Best of luck to you and take care!!