Lesson Learned: Autonomy and Self-Esteem
"I clean up a lot of messes," says Francine Ouellette Lavoie of the Centre de la petite enfance la Montgolfière. "At the beginning of each year, every child in my group is given a responsibility, for example, to put the food out, clean up the table afterwards, or serve the dessert or milk." Good table manners are an important part of the curriculum. The children learn how to set a table, eat properly and clean up afterwards.
At each meal, the main course is placed at the centre of the table and each child serves himself or herself, according to their appetite. Lesson number 1: Don't have eyes bigger than your stomach. You can always go back for seconds.
But children often surprise you with a little extra creativity in learning lessons.
"One day, I come around the corner and I see a little boy carefully pouring half a bag of milk down the drain," says Ouellette Lavoie. She asked him why he was doing this.
"You have to imagine the solemn explanation - when a little boy is explaining something very important he has figured out," says Ouellette Lavoie. He had seen that it was very hard to pour from a full bag of milk and so he was emptying it part way so it would be easier for him and his friends to pour at the table.
"We laughed, but it was also a perfect opportunity for me to teach a very important lesson. The boy had done exactly what I asked: be careful about spilling milk. I have to respect that and the effort he put into it."
"Then we have to go onto the next lesson, which is about waste."