Home » ExchangeEveryDay » Asking the Big Questions



ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues


<< Previous Issue | View Past Issues | | Next Issue >> ExchangeEveryDay
Asking the Big Questions
July 12, 2021
I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Dear Exchange Community,

Have you noticed that life is both glorious and messy? As much as we might wish more certainty, often the answers to big questions just aren’t in the back of the book.

I am loving the questions being asked and wrestled with in two new ROW (Reimagining Our Work) books Exchange has recently published.

Here’s an excerpt from the foreword Ann Pelo and Margie Carter wrote for Nick Terrones’ wonderful book, A Can of Worms: Fearless Conversations With Toddlers:

“A two-year-old and her teacher, Nick, lie on their bellies eye to eye with a worm. The toddler, Paige, tries to fit the worm into an organizational system—male or female, boy or girl. She asks, “Does the worm have a penis?”

Her question hangs in the air while Nick gulps and collects his thoughts, aware that this question could carry them into intimate considerations. “How much should I say? How little?” he wonders. And he finds his answer in “one of my highest values, which is to honor children’s thinking by ... responding honestly. I decided to stick with Paige and her curiosity, her desire to understand, rather than let my anxieties stifle the conversation.”

And so Nick opens a can of worms. Consideration of the worm’s anatomy leads to questions about gender and identity—not only for worms but for Paige herself. Those questions stir Nick to examine the ways he talks with children.”

Donna King’s beautiful new book, Pursuing Bad Guys: Joining Children's Quest for Clarity, Courage and Community encourages educators to think alongside children as they tackle issues of right and wrong, good and bad and all the gray areas that are part of that conversation.

I’m proud that Exchange is supporting courageous educators who respect children’s right to ponder life’s big issues.

Here’s to your important work!

Nancy Rosenow, Exchange Publisher
on behalf of our entire team





Pursuing Bad Guys:
Joining Children's Quest for Clarity, Courage and Community

Use coupon code COURAGE to get
10% off of this title when you order today.

How do you handle “bad guys?” Join a yearlong, child-led investigation of goodness and badness, real and pretend, safety and courage. Expand your practice as you learn alongside a passionate and creative teacher, who takes risks and shares the outcomes as this energizing story unfolds.



Offer valid through June 24, 2022, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. May not be combined with any other offer. Not valid on past purchases or bulk purchase discounts.

ExchangeEveryDay

Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.

What is ExchangeEveryDay?

ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.





Post a Comment

Have an account? to submit your comment.


required

Your e-mail address will not be visible to other website visitors.
required
required
required

Check the box below, to help verify that you are not a bot. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this form.



Disclaimer: Exchange reserves the right to remove any comments at its discretion or reprint posted comments in other Exchange materials.