At Izzy's school, the children eat lunch at tables for two. I don't know if there is some hidden Montessori logic to this but to me it spells exclusion. I hear daily tales of Izzy and his seating arrangements. Thoughts of who his lunch companion will be seem to occupy far too much of his time. Why is this such a big issue for I. and his classmates? Should it really be?
On most days, he dines with his pal C. and some days with C. and J., supposedly sneaking a third chair over to the table. Other times he dines with I. or simply J. But I heard that on those days, C. feels left out and doesn't eat his lunch. On a few occasions in the beginning of the year, I. was excluded and ended up sitting with a teacher. These stories leave me saddened and thinking there MUST be a better way.
Why can't the tables be put together so that several children can eat together? Wouldn't that be more conducive to a lively lunch camaraderie? I had been mulling that over lately and this morning Izzy suggested it to me. I told him to take it up with his teachers but I imagine he forgot.
How do the children lunch elsewhere?
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2 comments:
At the schools where I teach, I almost always see rectangular tables that seat 8-12 children.
I think that there will always be a feeling of exclusion, as long as it's up to the students to determine the arrangements. But, I don't see the logic behind the two-person tables.
In elementary school I imagine there would be that element of exclusivity at the lunch table. I just never envisioned it happening this young. Tables of 8-12 sound more sensible to me.
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