I read this blog post from the Washington Post this morning entitled Smart design + school = health. It described beautifully why atmosphere is important in the classroom. The final quote stood out to me:
“We really focused on what kids need. What I see in that space are kids gravitating to that atmosphere because they know it’s for them, about them. Everything is tailored to their needs.”
Dina Sorensen, project designer, VMDO Architects
Playground equipment is a joy for every child, aren’t they? For parents and teachers, they give an opportunity for kids to use up their energy and make full use of their imagination. Then for adults, there is the dark side of playground slides!
The hardest thing about being a substitute teacher is playground duty. It’s not because the kids are that bad, not that the weather is so horrible. It’s because as a teacher, you’re supposed to be watching the kids, not playing on the equipment.
This year, I got to write an article about baby and child dedication in my church tradition. Tomorrow, in many churches, there will be a connection between baby dedication and Mother’s Day.
As the novel coronavirus concerns ramped up, there was a big emphasis on working from home. But we soon heard, “What happens when you just can’t work remotely?”
For many office jobs, we found it was a possibility. As a graphic designer, that can be a preferred mode of working. After all, you just need a laptop and a speedy Internet connection, and you are in business. However, after two years, we’ve found there are aspects of remote work that just don’t work.
Also, there are many jobs where that just isn’t possible. Manufacturing requires workers to be at the machines and be productive. As a Graphics Manager at such a facility, I soon found I was needed at the plant. While we had some office workers off-site as a precaution, we still needed office workers there to keep the jobs moving.
While some schoolwork can be done remotely, someone has to be there to guide a child and keep him out of trouble. Someone has to be home to feed her. Sure, The parent can do that… while they are working remotely… and having their web conference with that important client… and keeping the dog quiet. What could go wrong?
We soon found out! Remote learning has been very hard for students. I feel for them. While remote employment has worked, remote learning has been very hard for kids.
I agree if you think springing forward is hard. This morning, I witnessed the sun coming up one hour later. Everything was dark until 8:00 AM. This shouldn’t happen on a Sunday! It’s hard enough for children’s ministry workers to make it out the door on a regular day, let alone one that has had an hour stolen from it. Daylight Savings Time and children’s ministry do not mix well.
