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“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
The above quote is often attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, and Benjamin Franklin and Maria Montessori are also credited with variations:
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
"In the words of the child: 'I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.'"
Dr. Maria Montessori
We are thankful to all of the above people, because we have found this concept to be very helpful in working with children. Children are happiest when they are making things happen in the real world. Think of a child completing his or her first puzzle or riding a bike with no training wheels for the first time. Often we will hear an excited voice call out, "I did it!" At Hogg's Hollow, we live to help children experience those moments.
Some years ago, one of our students actually asked us to keep our preschool open on the weekend, so he could come every day. When we heard him explain his ideas on how we could stay open seven days a week, we knew that we were doing something right!
We are very lucky to have a wealth of resources nearby that provide us with wonderful opportunities for field trips. We visit fire stations, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, local grocery stores, the La Cañada Flintridge Library, the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House and numerous other locations. We even make special trips to Walt Disney Hall for performances.
We are extremely fortunate to have Nasa's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) just a few miles down the road. Our students visited JPL to see the Curiosity rover being built, handled duplicates of the wheels now used by the Curiosity rover on Mars, and dressed up with masks and lab coats to experience first hand the air chamber where scientists are wind blown before entering the lab.
Many people might not know that there is small river that flows by the Jet Propulsion Lab at certain times of the year, but our students are old hands at exploring this wonderland.
Our philosophy is that children are people just like anyone else but with small bodies, and they blossom when treated with the same respect that we give adults. For example, when children communicate, we listen and acknowledge their thoughts and ideas. Excellent communication is the key to raising and educating happy, capable children.
However for children to be respected, they need to be allowed to help and then they feel like they are part of the team ‐ they look for ways to contribute. And suddenly the adults around those children begin to truly respect them.
In our opinion, every child has infinite potential. Our goal is to ensure that every student is enthusiastic about learning, understands 100% of what he or she is being taught and can genuinely use the information in life.
Our viewpoint is that our children can be, do and have anything they want in life, but it will be up to them to achieve their goals.
We find that children do best when they get to earn the things they want and, as mentioned, are allowed to help those around them. In this manner, children gain a sense of self worth and pride from jobs well done. And they gain the confidence, experience and persistence to achieve their goals later in life.
Copyright © 2017, Hogg's Hollow Preschool & Kindergarten. All rights reserved.