Sense of Wonder: Following in the Footsteps of Rachel Carson

In August I started my thirty-ninth year of teaching.  Over the years I have taught every grade except second.  Twenty-six years ago I found my nitch in the teaching profession -kindergarten.  For this is the beginning....the beginning of a long journey for most children in the art of surviving "organized education".  Kindergarden can "make or break" a young child's perception of school.  Up until this point, the child has learned many things: crawling, walking and talking are just a few,  in a carefree and unstructured environment.  School, by its very nature is a structured environment, with rules and regulations that need to be mastered in order that "the group" can learn important concepts without the disruption of unruly students.  As a teacher of young children, it is my job to create a loving and caring community of learners who understand the need for respect for one another and most especially for themselves as we embark on this journey.  It has also been my privledge to continue to nurture their sense of wonder in the world that surrounds them.   I often think of Rachel Carson who said it far better then I.   After three weeks of school, I thought it was about time we followed her footsteps.

                                               A SENSE OF WONDER

                             If I had influence with the good fairy

                  who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children,

                I should ask that her gift to each child in the world

               be a sense of wonder so indestructible

              that it would last throughout life,

                                              as an unfaililing antidote

                   against the boredom and disenchantments of later years,

                                         the sterile preoccupation

                               with things that are artificial,

                   the alienation from the sources of our strength.

                                                                     Rachel Carson