Our Hope

The Quest ~ To discover what the child feels and sees from their vantage point before their viewpoint is completely over run by the opinion and influence of what we call our adult world. We hear in their own voices, their own vocabulary what their world is to them. By their views being heard and respected we empower them. We do this through both Live Streams and Radio Programs. Then from the audio of these gatherings, we create podcasts that reflect those views. Interviewing these children is the delicate are of letting them be themselves with out prodding or rephrasing.

Zoom Discussions, Podcast Reflections and a Radio Show
With Children of Mixed Ages and Backgrounds
Unscripted, Spontaneous, And Authentic

About This Web Site Itself: It serves multiple purposes: (1)) To help the community and especially parents, understand what we are doing and why. (2) To help staff connect with and engage in the process. (3)To begin to find ways to share our findings with a wider audience of parents teachers and care givers.
Mission Statement/Pledge: Within our zooms, podcasts and radio studio, we will provide a safe supportive environment so that the child can express aloud their most personal perspectives and feelings. We hope for children to speak and to be heard, that this in itself is empowering for the her/himself.  And we hope by our sharing our discoveries through this show we can be help you to make discoveries of your own of ‘The Child’s World‘.

The Silver City Radio Show: [Note:Has not yet been approved we need to create and submit a demo, probably through zoom.]
Our 60 minute broadcast is live every Saturday. The first three Saturdays five of six 5-11 yr boys and girls gather around microphones with an adult discussion leader on the last microphone and have a discussion. The topic to be discussed has not been preselected and on some occasions is picked from a basket just as the show begins. Topics are numerous, such as ‘Lying’ / ‘Rules and Fairness‘ / ‘Chores’ / ‘ Sadness or Anger’. The discussion leader uses an approach we like to call ‘soft interviewing with lots of listening’. Open ended questions are used that try not so to lead, but to follow where the children’s discussion leads. The chat circle feels safe and relaxed. And, the while the pace can be fast and exciting, more often it is slow and measured, with an atmosphere which is slow enough to allow the shyer child the time to reveal her/himself. Thus, we hope, we will get a glimpse into the child’s world that often remains hidden to us. The last Saturday of every month: No children are present. Our phone lines are open as we take questions and comments from parents, listeners and advisors. We discuss these incoming calls, while simultaneously holding a staff meeting that looks over the three broadcasts that month, discussing the occurrences that stood out and interesting themes that appeared.

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Footnote: Origins of this Work: “My entire adult life I have been drawn to watching children and trying to understand them. In my 20’s I studied and worked with Montessori as a trained preschool AMS teacher and then as a elementary teacher training with Margaret Stephenson at the AMI Institute in Washington DC,  all this Montessori work initiated me into observing them and their world.  Then as I wrote my master’s thesis comparing Waldorf and Montessori, that too further widened and deepened these perceptions. Finally, with Dewey, Piaget and Parkhurst’s works, I learned even more. Now after decades of raising a family, grandchildren and earning a living as a HS Teacher, in my retirement I can again take up the quest of Discovering The Child’s World.” – – – Gerry Scott