Your Image of Child: Where Teaching Begins Reflection

As I reflected on my image of the child, reading Malaguzzi's (1994) article Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins elevated my thoughts about children. What profoundly written and influential ideas Maluguzzi wrote about! I have read this article many times before, and it draws out more new thinking and reflections every time. 

After pondering Maluguzzi's article, we are very unaware of how our image of the child affects everything we do with children. We must become aware and think about our image daily and every moment we are with children. What a powerful exercise offered in this course of looking at the beliefs regarding education, ourselves as educators, family, and the child that are influencing us! It brings the images of children to the surface for reflection. Which images of children reflect my belief and which do not? Letting go of images of children that no longer match our thoughts. Digging deep and taking time to think, how does this reflect the image of the child I hold? 

When we evaluate our image of the child, our image of us as educators, education, and the environment changes, too. We go from the educator who plans for the children to the one who plans with the children. A practice of looking at the clock, transitioning children to going with the flow and the rhythm of the children- never knowing what time it is! We go from the one asking questions to the one listening to the questions and researching answers together. We resist the overwhelming urge to teach the children what we know or think they should know, to instead be curious to see what theories the children have and how they think. We become self-aware of the language that commands children (thanks, Teacher Tom!) and work towards being the one who speaks less and listens more. We go from desiring compliance from children to embracing their challenges and negotiating together. 

This is an everyday battle to remind ourselves to think about, reflect on, and uphold the image of the child that rings true in our hearts. No one is perfect, and we all fall into 'habits' or the internal image, as Malaguzzi refers to it, but the strength is in realizing when it has happened and getting yourself back on the path of learning and changing. Change is hard for most of us and evokes feelings of uncertainty, as Malaguzzi addresses. 

Growing comfortable with the unknown. How do we become comfortable with it? 

Now, this is a huge step to think about. I think that we find ways to connect these changes in ideas to our own lives and to ourselves. Thinking about our childhood memories prompted us to remember what qualities were present in our childhood. My childhood memory was evident of uninterrupted time to build a relationship with my sister, a familiar space with no adult present (but probably observing from the window), freedom and imagination. These memories help me think about my image of the child with the children I work with. I will remember the feelings of joy, freedom, imagination, fearlessness, and independence and strive to incorporate them into my practices. A beautiful dance can happen with the children if we walk each day alongside them at their pace, listening and supporting their ideas amongst our uncertainty. This is where my true teaching begins...

 

Makovichuk, L., Hewes, J., Lirette, P., & Thomas, N. (2014). Flight: Alberta's early learning and care framework. https://www.flightframework.ca

Malaguzzi, L. (1994). Your image of the child: Where teaching begins. Exchange, 3, 52–56.