A translated post... words by Linda at Pedagogiska Kullerbyttan but in English...

Just had to translate Linda's latest blog post - Pedagogiska Kullerbyttan


"Why preschool? - beyond the Lpfö (Preschool Curriculum) # fskChattTomorrow starts Preschool Chat (# fskchatt) on Twitter again after the holidays. More and more teachers are involved on Twitter and a significant new network is built. For me, it is the opportunity to meet other educators with differing thoughts and  I like collide ideas a little so we can develop together. We all have different inputs, different conditions, different programs and this gives us wide openings and there is always someone who can turn your thoughts upside down. It is good, very good. As my twitter colleague Ann Kronberg Larsson wrote on twitter yesterday;
"The day we stop debate and discussion - it will be immensely boring. Critical review is vital"
Tonight preschool Chat raised the question: Why preschool? -beyond the Lpfö, a very interesting question with many potential inputs. For my part. Yes, you know me ... or?
Why preschool ? -beyond the Lpfö
I have a wish. A wish to work with children, my colleagues and parents to build a pre-school where children's voices, thoughts and dreams not only affects their everyday life at preschool, but also become part of the larger context in which they find themselves in: adults seriously listening to children's thoughts and make them part of the community, believe that they can understand and think about the things that affect them. The preschool will be the children's place where everyone who works there do it for the children's wishes and open up doors to explore the world we live in. The children will get the chance to share their experiences and create new experiences with each other and with the adults. We educators have a wonderful opportunity to every day learn new things with the children. We also get the opportunity to experience how they think, what strategies they have and how they develop their knowledge. We, children and educators can work together to build relationships that affect us and changes us into the depths. At preschool, people grow, both small and large.
Preschool needs then also to be a place for diversity to meet and for contacts to be linked. By bringing together a lot of children and adults in one place we will experience differences and similarities with each other. Educators need to create opportunities for children to highlight these differences and with the children build - ways of negotiating, understanding, tolerance and inclusion. To make differences and variety a value requires security. Everyone at preschool needs to feel confident that they are appreciated and wanted just the way they are. Together make visible our various requests and negotiate solutions to any problems that arise.
Pre-school can also be a place for children to meet their friends, creating relationships, creating memories for life. Similarly, it can be a meeting place for parents. Being able to find others who are in similar situations, to build up their networks to work together to influence their situation. Preschool should be a place people can turn to. A place where you can throw out a question or suggestion and gain support whether you are a child, parent or teacher.
Educators, the spiders in the web. They connect. They pull the strings and pick up ideas, suggestions, thoughts. Educators are responsible for the work in the nursery, that all children and parents feel involved and included in what is happening. Educators have (hopefully) an awareness of how groups of people work and what they need to do together to work well.
For me, the most important function of preschool is being the children's arena in society - then the preschool will be different depending on the experiences the children, parents and teachers have been working there."

 So what are your thoughts - why is there preschool? What purpose does it function?