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Kindred Spirits
March 12, 2007
Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.
-Fred Rogers

Learning is about relationships.
Most of which are formed while we make discoveries.
And no one celebrates discoveries quite like those who know the child within,
and in others visualize the possibilities with which we all began.

This vision makes us Kindred Spirits.
The kind of spirits who find high rewards in hugs;
put dandelions in water; sing happy birthday many times a year;
use compassion with dead goldfish; take 20 children to the zoo
and return with the same number; speed-tie tennis shoes
and black-patent-leather buckles; really celebrate
February 14; guard family secrets and overheard conversations;
accept innocent rudeness; recycle everything and believe in serendipity.

These Kindred Spirits have liberty daily, to laugh and cry,
sit on the floor, paint and swing, hold hands and look into faces that reflect life.

Sometimes, the power of the job is frightening.
Sometimes, the trust bestowed upon us, to care for
Humanity's child sinks in.
Then we pause to watch even more closely,
knowing that the future of this planet sits
precariously in the laps and arms
of Kindred spirits all around this earth;
with gentle beings who love learning and children,
and live with a passion for something, everyday.

What do these spirits manifest for the future?
Compassion, joy, respect, curiosity, love,
Honesty, creativity and appreciation of life
Through someone else's eyes.

Most people will never know what we know
About the handholding, the dandelions
and sweaty hugs.
It is their loss.
And, it is what makes us Kindred Spirits.

Contributed by Susan R. Andersen ©1993

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New Exchange Resource on PLAY

Play is the focus of the latest Beginnings Workshop Book published by Exchange. This practical curriculum resource contains articles by Elizabeth Jones, Jim Greenman, Margie Carter, Edgar Klugman, Stuart Reifel, Karen Stephens, and many other play experts. Sections of the book address: The Spirit of Play, The Value of Play, Block Play, Make Believe Play, and Play and Culture. View the Table of Contents


Comments (4)

Displaying All 4 Comments
Roxane Desjardins · May 12, 2008
Andrew Fleck Child Care Services
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada


What a wonderful poem!!! We are a Child Care service in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that supports children with special needs that are integrated in licensed child care services. We would love to use this poem as an insert in our fall 2008 newsletter as a sort of gift to educators for the day of recognition of educators in October. We would make sure to give credit to the author and the Child Care Exchange. Please email me so that we can discuss it further. Thank you in advance,Roxane Desjardins.

susan andersen · March 16, 2007
Early Learning Consultant
Des Moines, Iowa, United States


From the Author,
Cathy, thanks for you comments. I am happy to know that this could be of use for you and the staff in your agency. You are welcome to use it with proper credits.
I wrote it while waiting for a conference session to begin. Watching the people come in I thought about what we all had in common.
Keep up the good work!
Susan

Allison Miller · March 12, 2007
Landenberg, PA, United States


This is a great article and "hit the nail on the head", Learning is all about relationships as those from Greenspan to PITC to Zero to Three have alerted us for years.

Cathy Paradis · March 12, 2007
21C Childcare Resource and Referral
Claremont, NH, United States


I just had the opportunity to read "Kindred Spirits" and I was so touched by these simple reminders of how very important the job of childcare is to not just parents, but the world as a whole! I am working on our agency's quarterly newsletter which goes out to about 200 childcare professionals in our area and I would like to ask your permission to include this piece in our newsletter, giving credit to both Exchange and the author. If you could please email me with your thoughts on that, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you,
Cathy Paradis



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