Thoughts for the Week:

Most children are naturally eager to learn, right from the time they are born. For them, learning comes from the inside out as they try to make sense of the world through their feelings and experiences. My grandfather was a person who loved to teach, and every time I was with him, he'd show me something about the world or something about myself that I hadn't even thought of. I loved him and wanted to please him, and I would have tried to learn anything he was interested in teaching me. Over the years, as I have grown and learned through my work, I've come to understand that learning does happen best when it comes through a caring relationship.

Summary of the Week:

Children learn from adults...adults learn from each other...and adults learn from children.  Whoever is learning or teaching, it is clear that learning and caring go hand-in-hand.  But learning can be hard work.  It takes effort when we're learning something new.  Often there are even discouraging moments.  Mister Rogers confides to the children that he has never been able to learn to whistle.  It can help children to know that no one can learn to do everything.

In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Lady Elaine Fairchilde suggests that a "learning machine" can take the place of teachers, field trips, and schools.  As the week ends, the students in the Make-Believe school come to understand that there are lots of ways to learn.