We arrived in Warsaw yesterday afternoon and were greeted by our wonderful Warsaw colleagues! All three of them came to meet us. We immediately started talking about plans for visiting the Lauder Morasha Kindergarten the next day. Topics ranged from specific offerings to philosophical considerations. It was a significant discussion, and it is shaping our understanding of the priorities of the school. Today we spent all of the morning observing in classrooms and learning from the educators. We saw children creating with clay, presenting a play, and learning English, among other experiences, as well as having a chance to immerse ourselves in the environment. This afternoon we met with half of the teaching staff and the director of the kindergarten. The conversation focused on four levers of reflection and potential change. The first of these was the image of the child – what are the powerful ways in which these educators view children? We talked about our ideas in pairs and then shared with the group. The second lever of potential change was the revelation of values that the teachers wanted the children to acquire in the program and how they matched with values in Jewish life. After the educators made their own list, we concentrated on Kehilla (Community), Hesed (Kindness), Tzedakah (Giving in Justice), Simhah (Happiness), Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World), and Shabbat (Time for Joy, Rest, and Reflection). These were translated into Polish as you can see below:
The overlap of values between teachers and Judaism was obvious! The third lever of change was the use of documentation. How can we see these values in action in ways that also show the competence of children? Finally, we looked at the environments in the school and how they might support the work of the children in learning, action, and reflection even more. Mykenzie used her magical iPad to show what could be added in each classroom and then shared amazing photos of the environments in her school. The educators were fascinated! Of course, they are already making a list of what they want to add. We meet with the other half of the teaching staff tomorrow, and will continue to talk with our SOS Warsaw colleagues about future plans for the school
