Work: Intellectual and Physical

Work becomes a great teacher when it enters the lives of our students and give the joy of friendship and comradeship, develops inquisitiveness and curiosity, gives birth to excitement at the overcoming of difficulties, opens the way to ever new beauties in the surrounding world, and awakes the first feeling of citizenship–the feeling of being a creator of material values without which human life is impossible. My Heart I Give to Children, p. 370

Sukhomlinsky believed that the work a child does to learn can be extremely rewarding. Children who discover this early are more likely to find fulfillment and satisfaction in academic success. He also believed that education should include projects that help the school and the wider community. The students should feel a responsibility to the environment where they study. To this end, they built a green house, planted orchards, worked for the common good of the village and helped specific people. The children learned to notice the needs of others and found joy and satisfaction in make a difference in the lives of others.

One of the things I’m most excited about in regards to this kindergarten, is the time we will spend at a care center one day a week. I have long thought that a partnership can and should exist between schools and care centers. The good that could come of this association will not be able to be measured. It is my hope that the children in my class and the residents of the care center will be able to help and learn from each other in many ways. Also, I’m very excited about the grounds of Cove Point. They are covered with large trees and beautiful stretches of grass and flower beds. There are small bridges over waterways (there was no water in the stream when I saw them last week), and gazebos perfect for storytelling and listening to the birds.

Perhaps there will be much work the children will do at Cove Point as well as in the forests on the mountains near our homes.