We Don't Play with Guns Here.
The week gone by has been filled with soundbites and news coverage surrounding a number of heart-wrenching tragedies. In fact, the summer season thus far could be characterized by the unfortunate saturation of stories regarding a mass shooting here, deaths as a result of police use of force, or the ever-rising gun induced homicide rates in urban areas across the country (including my own hometown of Chicago).
As a culture, we talk a lot about guns. We see a lot of guns. Some of us have guns and enjoy using them. Some of us wish all the guns magically disappeared. Whatever our feelings on firearms, the fact of the matter is, they aren’t about to go anywhere, nor is our collective fascination with them. I say fascination simply because of how apt it is. There is a reason Law and Order was on for 20 some years...and it’s not just the theme music and fact that all is wrapped up in an hour. The thrill of the cop show is tied to the use of weapons. Star Wars, detective novels, the Serial podcast are interesting stories laced with the wow factor of guns, explosions and violence, all of which are exceptionally captivating to us. Call it our lizard brain, our evolutionary history of hunting and defending ourselves, or call it super savvy marketing, I don’t know exactly what it is, but violence grabs our attention.
If guns grab the attention of adults, you can be sure that they have the same (or greater) impact on children.
You wouldn’t think that I talk very much about guns as a teacher of young children. But the truth is, I do. Every day. Sometimes multiple times a day. We draw a very hard line on play that involves guns here at school. We don’t play with guns. Period. We don’t pretend toys/sticks/our hands/anything else are guns and use them to shoot at people/animals/trees/walls/etc. The kids know this, but struggle to avoid this type of play. It’s seems exciting, interesting and engaging for them. So much is this true that they have recently and almost collectively changed their language to describe their guns as “shooters” to see if that is acceptable.
“Pew, pew, this is my shooter!”
Sam: “Your shooter is a gun. We don’t play with guns or shooters at school. Let’s find something else to play together!”
It’s taken me some time and reflection to get to this hard line about gun play. I certainly played my fair share of cops and robbers as child. I had a robust interest in all things frontier and wild west growing up; I owned and loved many a Nerf gun, cap gun and water gun. Did this make me a violent adult? Well, besides enjoying football and the occasional boxing match, no. But I have to wonder, if I didn’t play with those types of toys, what else would I have done? Would I have done more fishing? Taken up more complex art projects? Built better forts? I don’t know. The issue with gun play is that quite easily and without much effort, guns wholly engage the imagination of children. That’s the problem. And I think as teachers, caregivers and parents, we can do better for our kids. We owe it to them to learn more about who they are, what their diverse interests are and let those things take hold of their minds and hearts. There are few things that are stronger than guns, but I happen to think that relationships are a good starting point. When we strengthen relationships between adults and children, everyone benefits. Adults are able to better understand children as individuals and foster their developing interests. The child sprinting around the playground firing the stick gun at peers might need or want something MORE engaging to do, and it takes an observant, present adult to help tease that out.
I feel pretty sensitive to steering children away from this type of play, because I don’t want to stifle their interests. Over time, I’ve come to understand that gun play is just one of a multitude of interests a child might have, and to create a more kind and gentle environment for the community of learners here at school, it requires making peace the priority. This play is one thing we can’t do...but think of all the things we CAN do. There are very few limits placed on our play, and seemingly limitless possibilities, by saying no to the interest in guns, I might be giving wings to something else. I don’t think the right approach to gun play is to demonize it. We do talk about guns at school; when kids ask questions about guns, I answer them honestly and in a way that they can understand. I never tell a child, “guns are bad and we don’t do that.”
There is research on both sides of the gun play issue. It seems clear from most of that research that this kind of play does not correlate into actual violence in the lives, or later lives of children. Gun play to children very well could be just another form or play, and when we adults observe it, we apply our own judgement to it. As a graduate student at UVM, I spent time abroad in New Zealand, a country that has lots of culturally acceptable ways to express aggression. Ever seen a Maori Haka? There are plenty of places in the world that embrace “violent” play that don’t struggle with gun violence as our country does; but that issue is a complex one that would force us to look at data such as population, gun access/number of guns, historic implications, legislation and so on. I can see and appreciate the many perspectives on this issue, but in a world that is not so clear, it should bring some assurance that at school, we’re working hard to reinforce the message that it is a good thing to travel through the world with more kindness and gentleness.
The news cycles will sadly continue on as they do, and sometimes I have to catch my breath as I take it all in. But I am reassured by our approach and hopeful that there is place carved out that tries to make it a little better, and equip kids with the skills to navigate the often tumultuous waters of the world.
Downstairs Happenings
This has been an incredibly busy week for our downstairs classrooms. Mainly because, there's now another classroom! The new "Toddler I" (name pending) room is complete and you'll see students enjoying the new space on Monday. There have been countless hours poured into making this space a reality, thanks to all who had a hand it bringing it together. If you've not yet had a look, please feel free to pop in a check it out, even if your child is attending school upstairs. In the past week, the children in Infant I and II have been listening to the final construction noises!
Our classrooms have been enjoying plenty of extended outdoor time, one newer feature on the front playground has been the thick grass that has just filled in, the children have been exploring it and comparing it to the older grasses. As the older children made trips out back, they could be found "working on the shelter," (the triangular structure made from branches) the children spent time cutting, building and sawing. Another big interest this week turned out to be watering cans. We filled them with rocks and water and then watered different spots around the playground. The kitchen tools in the sensory table were another way in which we played with the water.
We had a large piece of cardboard set aside for an art project, but it quickly became a spot for bouncing and balancing. Later this week on a stormy day, we did use that piece of cardboard for painting.
Also indoors, we have been looking at books focused on food. As we read the pages, we pretend to eat each of the foods, using our hands, or pretending with a spoon. This has carried over to mealtimes, as it seems we look forward to sitting together and practicing all our eating skills.
We had Carly out this week for vacation, and appreciate the hard work of substitute teachers to keep us on schedule.
Upstairs Happenings
"Toddler I" (for now): The hot weather made us very happy to be sprayed by the hose. We loved playing in the big buckets of water and running through the sprinkler. We continue to work hard at putting on bathing suits independently, which can be tricky with liners, swim shirts and straps. But we are sticking to it and pushing through these challenges. We have an interest in the game "Red Light, Green Light." Following the directions and running/stopping quickly is a good exercise in careful listening. We have still wanted to read our non-fiction animal books, and seem to also be asking lots of questions about our school bunnies.
Pre-School: We have been doing a lot of work on number recognition. We have been looking at the written numbers and then placing that amount of beads alongside the number to understand the representation. One example of this is currently on our light table. Another counting exercise took shape as we constructed our largest Lego tower ever this week: 72 blocks high! Our class was a smaller one this week with children out for vacation. While we missed our classmates, we did get to visit the Pre-K room and spend time with some of the older children for longer chunks of time.
Pre-K: As mentioned above, we spent time playing with Sarah's class, and it was really fun to have the children all mixed together. We went for a walk with them and even saw a child on a pogo stick, which was very exciting for us. We made a classroom book on caterpillars, which is on view in the hallway. Here's what some of the children had to say about the week:
CT: " We liked doing everything!"
TM: "We really liked building stuff with those kids on the playground."
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Sam
The week gone by has been filled with soundbites and news coverage surrounding a number of heart-wrenching tragedies. In fact, the summer season thus far could be characterized by the unfortunate saturation of stories regarding a mass shooting here, deaths as a result of police use of force, or the ever-rising gun induced homicide rates in urban areas across the country (including my own hometown of Chicago).
As a culture, we talk a lot about guns. We see a lot of guns. Some of us have guns and enjoy using them. Some of us wish all the guns magically disappeared. Whatever our feelings on firearms, the fact of the matter is, they aren’t about to go anywhere, nor is our collective fascination with them. I say fascination simply because of how apt it is. There is a reason Law and Order was on for 20 some years...and it’s not just the theme music and fact that all is wrapped up in an hour. The thrill of the cop show is tied to the use of weapons. Star Wars, detective novels, the Serial podcast are interesting stories laced with the wow factor of guns, explosions and violence, all of which are exceptionally captivating to us. Call it our lizard brain, our evolutionary history of hunting and defending ourselves, or call it super savvy marketing, I don’t know exactly what it is, but violence grabs our attention.
If guns grab the attention of adults, you can be sure that they have the same (or greater) impact on children.
You wouldn’t think that I talk very much about guns as a teacher of young children. But the truth is, I do. Every day. Sometimes multiple times a day. We draw a very hard line on play that involves guns here at school. We don’t play with guns. Period. We don’t pretend toys/sticks/our hands/anything else are guns and use them to shoot at people/animals/trees/walls/etc. The kids know this, but struggle to avoid this type of play. It’s seems exciting, interesting and engaging for them. So much is this true that they have recently and almost collectively changed their language to describe their guns as “shooters” to see if that is acceptable.
“Pew, pew, this is my shooter!”
Sam: “Your shooter is a gun. We don’t play with guns or shooters at school. Let’s find something else to play together!”
It’s taken me some time and reflection to get to this hard line about gun play. I certainly played my fair share of cops and robbers as child. I had a robust interest in all things frontier and wild west growing up; I owned and loved many a Nerf gun, cap gun and water gun. Did this make me a violent adult? Well, besides enjoying football and the occasional boxing match, no. But I have to wonder, if I didn’t play with those types of toys, what else would I have done? Would I have done more fishing? Taken up more complex art projects? Built better forts? I don’t know. The issue with gun play is that quite easily and without much effort, guns wholly engage the imagination of children. That’s the problem. And I think as teachers, caregivers and parents, we can do better for our kids. We owe it to them to learn more about who they are, what their diverse interests are and let those things take hold of their minds and hearts. There are few things that are stronger than guns, but I happen to think that relationships are a good starting point. When we strengthen relationships between adults and children, everyone benefits. Adults are able to better understand children as individuals and foster their developing interests. The child sprinting around the playground firing the stick gun at peers might need or want something MORE engaging to do, and it takes an observant, present adult to help tease that out.
I feel pretty sensitive to steering children away from this type of play, because I don’t want to stifle their interests. Over time, I’ve come to understand that gun play is just one of a multitude of interests a child might have, and to create a more kind and gentle environment for the community of learners here at school, it requires making peace the priority. This play is one thing we can’t do...but think of all the things we CAN do. There are very few limits placed on our play, and seemingly limitless possibilities, by saying no to the interest in guns, I might be giving wings to something else. I don’t think the right approach to gun play is to demonize it. We do talk about guns at school; when kids ask questions about guns, I answer them honestly and in a way that they can understand. I never tell a child, “guns are bad and we don’t do that.”
There is research on both sides of the gun play issue. It seems clear from most of that research that this kind of play does not correlate into actual violence in the lives, or later lives of children. Gun play to children very well could be just another form or play, and when we adults observe it, we apply our own judgement to it. As a graduate student at UVM, I spent time abroad in New Zealand, a country that has lots of culturally acceptable ways to express aggression. Ever seen a Maori Haka? There are plenty of places in the world that embrace “violent” play that don’t struggle with gun violence as our country does; but that issue is a complex one that would force us to look at data such as population, gun access/number of guns, historic implications, legislation and so on. I can see and appreciate the many perspectives on this issue, but in a world that is not so clear, it should bring some assurance that at school, we’re working hard to reinforce the message that it is a good thing to travel through the world with more kindness and gentleness.
The news cycles will sadly continue on as they do, and sometimes I have to catch my breath as I take it all in. But I am reassured by our approach and hopeful that there is place carved out that tries to make it a little better, and equip kids with the skills to navigate the often tumultuous waters of the world.
Downstairs Happenings
This has been an incredibly busy week for our downstairs classrooms. Mainly because, there's now another classroom! The new "Toddler I" (name pending) room is complete and you'll see students enjoying the new space on Monday. There have been countless hours poured into making this space a reality, thanks to all who had a hand it bringing it together. If you've not yet had a look, please feel free to pop in a check it out, even if your child is attending school upstairs. In the past week, the children in Infant I and II have been listening to the final construction noises!
Our classrooms have been enjoying plenty of extended outdoor time, one newer feature on the front playground has been the thick grass that has just filled in, the children have been exploring it and comparing it to the older grasses. As the older children made trips out back, they could be found "working on the shelter," (the triangular structure made from branches) the children spent time cutting, building and sawing. Another big interest this week turned out to be watering cans. We filled them with rocks and water and then watered different spots around the playground. The kitchen tools in the sensory table were another way in which we played with the water.
We had a large piece of cardboard set aside for an art project, but it quickly became a spot for bouncing and balancing. Later this week on a stormy day, we did use that piece of cardboard for painting.
Also indoors, we have been looking at books focused on food. As we read the pages, we pretend to eat each of the foods, using our hands, or pretending with a spoon. This has carried over to mealtimes, as it seems we look forward to sitting together and practicing all our eating skills.
We had Carly out this week for vacation, and appreciate the hard work of substitute teachers to keep us on schedule.
Upstairs Happenings
"Toddler I" (for now): The hot weather made us very happy to be sprayed by the hose. We loved playing in the big buckets of water and running through the sprinkler. We continue to work hard at putting on bathing suits independently, which can be tricky with liners, swim shirts and straps. But we are sticking to it and pushing through these challenges. We have an interest in the game "Red Light, Green Light." Following the directions and running/stopping quickly is a good exercise in careful listening. We have still wanted to read our non-fiction animal books, and seem to also be asking lots of questions about our school bunnies.
Pre-School: We have been doing a lot of work on number recognition. We have been looking at the written numbers and then placing that amount of beads alongside the number to understand the representation. One example of this is currently on our light table. Another counting exercise took shape as we constructed our largest Lego tower ever this week: 72 blocks high! Our class was a smaller one this week with children out for vacation. While we missed our classmates, we did get to visit the Pre-K room and spend time with some of the older children for longer chunks of time.
Pre-K: As mentioned above, we spent time playing with Sarah's class, and it was really fun to have the children all mixed together. We went for a walk with them and even saw a child on a pogo stick, which was very exciting for us. We made a classroom book on caterpillars, which is on view in the hallway. Here's what some of the children had to say about the week:
CT: " We liked doing everything!"
TM: "We really liked building stuff with those kids on the playground."
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
Sam
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