Preschool and vegetables in the Preschool yard. They used recyclable materials to make hanging planters for the fence and take daily pride in caring for their plants. They excitedly monitor the growth and enjoy harvesting the products of their labour. Throughout the year the boys are taught sustainable practices such as how to recycle waste items, save water and bring reusable containers for their lunch. While sustainability is important for us all, it is particularly significant for children. The following quotation by Timberlake and Thomas (1990) encapsulates this significance: We borrow environmental capital from future generations with no intention or prospect of repaying. They may damn us for our spendthrift ways, but they can never collect our debt to them. We act as we do because we can get away with it: future generations do not vote; they have no political or financial power; they cannot challenge our decisions. But the results of the present profligacy are rapidly closing options for future generations. Most of today’s decision-makers will be dead before the planet feels the heavier effects of acid precipitation, global warming, ozone depletion and species loss. Most of the young voters of today will still be alive (p. 27). As our second year in Preschool draws to a close I reflect on the growth and development of not only the boys, but also the service and the staff. I have gained immense pleasure over the past two years in leading the Preschool to the outstanding program it has become. I am proud to be part of a team who are so dedicated to early childhood education and who teach our youngest students with such warmth and care.
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL SOUTHPORTONIAN 2014
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