Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5009370/
"We have a comfortable life, a good life. People can't have everything they want, but they can make choices."- Elena Giacopini, Reggio Emilia, Italy
I can't get Elena's comment out of my mind. Equating the ability to make choices with the good life is intriguing - it appeals to me as a way of looking at one's life. Not a list of acquisitions or titles, no numbers or labels, no quantifying, no checklist. Her comment is rooted in another culture, a different perspective, a particular history; can it speak to our situation? Can we understand it?
If we were to accept the ability to make choices as our mindset for a good life, how would it change what we do?
Can we use this as a measure for evaluating the quality of a program for children? Let's try it . . .
Do children have choices about how to spend their time?
Are they offered the choice of whether or not to play?
Can they choose whom to be with? Can they choose to be alone?
What boundaries are there on their choices of where to be?
Can they, based on mood or emotional need, find places to be noisy and places ...