It’s been a long, busy, frigid week here in Maine. I have one more week to go until my February vacation, which will hopefully offer a much-needed break for both my kiddos and me — I think the cold and “cabin fever” that sets in during this part of the winter is impacting all of us!
This morning, I went to a local cinema to watch a film in the documentary series that they are doing on Saturday & Sunday mornings. The film this weekend was “On the Way to School,” which chronicled the journeys that four children (and, in some cases, their siblings) make to school. The locations covered were Kenya, Argentina, Morocco, and India — the scenery in the movie was fantastic and it was fascinating to observe the differences in lifestyles and means for getting to school. It goes without saying, I think, that there wasn’t a school bus that was coming to collect the students featured, but I was surprised by how arduous the journeys were, particularly for the boys in India, who not only had to walk 75 minutes, but had to do it while pushing their brother on a makeshift wheelchair through some pretty difficult terrain. As an educator, I felt moved that students would travel so far with such intrepid determination to pursue an education.
What was perhaps most interesting to me were the universal aspects of childhood that appeared throughout the film — the squabbles with their siblings, the amusement in small things, the sense of pride and responsibility when they are given the opportunity to be independent.
I think that this film would be a great one to show and discuss in the beginning of the school year with slightly older students than the ones that I currently have. Too often, kids are not aware that coming to school is a privilege that shouldn’t be squandered. I’d be really interested to hear their reactions to the film — I think it could be a powerful experience for them to see children their own age (~11-13 years old) and the odds they tackle to make it to school.
Cultivating Questioners 