Caring Spaces, Learning Spaces

I found the reading (Some Characteristics of Space by Greenman) to be extremely specific in describing environments for young children. Each section offered a wealth of information to consider. As a teacher and administrator, I compared the information with environments I offer young children and their families.
On page 76, the author offered examples of patterns, quoting Christopher Alexander. Patterns being labeled with the feel of "aliveness" provides a sense that life exists in the area - that one can breathe in the environment. The opposite was portrayed by "deadness" being a "result of a bad connection." I savored the statement that closed the reading by asking designers to "consider qualities that create human spaces that promote feelings and behavior that bring out the best in people."
Environments do play a tremendous role in setting the mood. I was fortunate to stay at a hotel this past weekend in Wailea, Maui. The grounds was well manicured, the lobby was beautiful with large ornate bouquets of fresh flowers, and the room itself offered soothing colors of turquoise, soft yellow, pale grey, and beige. Soft pillows, uncomplicated wall hangings, natural wood furniture - all adding to the overall effect of the room. I felt a sense of relaxation the moment I walked through the doorway. The rooms, the grounds, and all areas supporting guest services offered environments that promoted a feeling - tranquility, soft, relaxation, and peaceful surrender to all stresses of the world. One part of the hotel offered a pool for adults only - no children and no cell phones. Another area offered a family pool with a slide and other fun activities. It was evident that the hotel was designed for their customers, regardless of a single person, a couple on a honeymoon, or a family on their first Hawaii vacation.
This is an important factor in designing an environment for young children and families. Do we ask ourselves how we can design a caring space for our customers? This is an important reflection to consider as spaces are created for learning.
Regarding doorways - I can fully connect to the section that discussed how it feels to walk into a room after the party started. My program uses this same analogy in our request for children to arrive on time to school. Having a friendly face to welcome a child and their parent or loving adult at the doorway is equally important to a positive entry. The entire experience is interconnected - one without the other would not have the overall impact of welcome.
I found the section that recommended adults to go on their knees to gain a child's perspective to be quite inspiring. It's essential to consider eye level artwork posting, or the environmental design as it relates to crawlers, toddlers, preschoolers, babies in arms, and adults.
I have embraced a calling to create spaces dedicated for parents within each Head Start center in my program. I realized prior to our reading (however our reading reaffirmed my commitment) that parents need a space to call their own - a space that welcomes them to come and visit and stay for awhile. The reading addressed this important point - how parents or adults are asked to sit in small chairs. An indirect message, which is completely not an intended feeling, is that parents can visit for a short period of time - for about the amount of time your behind (or knees) can tolerate those tiny chairs. My dream is to option a grant through foundation dollars to purchase comfortable sofas and chairs for parents to sit, talk story, play with their children, read stories, or just to relax. The space will be designed to say "stay awhile, as long as you like."
The reading offered a vast perspective to consider as we design environments for children birth to five. The reading summarized the core by stating "For children space is the terrain from which they learn, not a site they learn in." Teachers need to be intentional in setting up the environment with critical consideration of materials and arrangement.
I returned from the Family Strengthening Summit in Atlanta feeling a sense of renewed energy and inspiration. I used my downtime in between sessions to reflect on my own life. For the past couple of weeks, I've been extremely overwhelmed with work deadlines, school deadlines, assignments, preparing for a federal review, preparing for a federal grant application...it was consuming me. This impacted quality time with family, husband, and myself (missing workouts became a daily event). During my hours of reflection, I concluded the need to refocus on my priorities - my own family and my health. I'm turning 49 and realized that it's critical to achieve balance in all things. In the Exchange article dated Oct. 30, 2009 (Coping with Anxiety), I found a message that I could completely relate to at this moment. The idea to "set aside worry time" is so relevant to my situation and to many others that struggle to address various situations related to program operations. I have instinctively adopted a similar practice - I have a tablet on the side of my bed and use this as a tool to write important items down before I go to sleep. These could include items that I'm worrying about, or things that I need to remember to do the next day. If I don't write it down, I carry it into bed which affects my ability to have a peaceful nights sleep.
I have read that people have tendencies to take shallow breathes when challenged or stressed. I have recently started taking yoga, which encourages taking deep breathes and breathing deep from the belly and exhaling all air out. This takes some thought and intention - it should be a regular practice, however it's not - especially when I'm busy or multitasking. Living in the moment (moment to moment) is a great practice to implement on a daily basis - tense or not, it's a great habit to develop.