A short blog on behaviour, challenge, and expectations

I’ve been working in a classroom recently.

A classroom where:
the children come in without having to line up…
choose who they sit next to and who they work with…
decide when they have completed a task…
and which one to do next…
don’t ask to go to the toilet…
or to have a drink if they are thirsty…
or a piece of fruit if they are hungry.
A classroom where:
the children work outside when they need to…
alone or in groups…
alongside and with adults…
in an environment that is notably calm, respectful, and collaborative…
where mis-behaviour is considered an opportunity for learning…
not for punishing…
where adults don’t shout…
or give detentions…
or have seating plans.
A classroom where:
learning is what everyone is about…
together…
alongside…
and with each other…
whatever their age,
knowledge…
or experience.
The classroom is in a nursery.
My questions are these:
Why is it the children in our schools have less freedom as they grow older?
Why are they trusted less and punished more?
Why do the levels of challenge and expectation fall the further they progress through the system?
Is it them or is it us?

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