What do I really want for my baby? This is the question that dictated the meeting with the trainer and pedagogist Giovanna Giacominiwho presented his book “Scuole Felici” at the Pagnano library on the afternoon of Saturday 13 April.
A work born from the passion for the Danish model of education for 0-6 years, which the author experienced during a trip to Northern Europe between Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In countries where trust involves the whole of society, where strollers with newborns are left parked outdoors while parents carry out errands or where playgrounds have very high structures for children to climb. A mentality that does not associate risk with danger, as happens in Italy, but on the contrary, considers it as an important value in the growth of the person to overcome fears and know how to face problems. A path of constant approach to the difficulties that the little ones will surely encounter sooner or later in the course of their lives. In fact, it is only harmful to protect children from all dangers as modern society feels the need to do, missing the trust that once brought the whole family together around the fire, when the child was experimented with household objects.
Nowadays, alarm bells are activated when any type of unexpected event arises, which generates anxiety and stress so emphasized that it is reflected and manifested in children starting from an increasingly younger age. We constantly want to achieve a perfection that doesn’t actually exist, preventing mistakes from which we can learn. The pillars of the Danish method, which are a way of life, encourage us not to follow the instructions to the letter, but rather to experiment and adapt them to our own needs, especially in the educational field. The Hygge philosophy and pedagogy, or the art of feeling good, must also be applied in schools, to create a social atmosphere related to the sense of comfort, security, welcome and familiarity. A search not for momentary happiness, but for daily happiness, which the pedagogist thinks is the answer to the question posed to those present at the beginning of the presentation.
The author Giovanna Giacomini with her book “Scuole Felici”
and moderator Erica Dozio
By placing well-being as a priority, a condition is created where learning is not rigid, but on the contrary, modeled according to the different abilities and needs of the little ones. The aesthetic appearance of schools or working environments also contributes to the quality of the service or performance. Productivity is in fact associated with finding the beauty of small things in everyday life, an ability that comes naturally as children and is then lost as they grow up. We need to put aside the performance culture that pushes us to be busy at all times and instead stop and slow down to enjoy the present moment and the company of others without thinking about future commitments. Only when parents actively contribute to the well-being of the family, focusing on the here and now, in synergy with schools, without being omnipresent and excessively controlling their children’s lives, speaking openly and sincerely without fear of addressing taboo issues , that they will be able to act as a model of freedom that generates the happiness and well-being for which children yearn. In short, a promotion of bringing out the best in oneself in any circumstance, stimulating in everyone the formation of the best version of themselves, which in conclusion is the objective of education.
At the end of the meeting those present shared reflections and doubts with the writer, before spending a few more minutes together sharing a tasty aperitif.
I.Bi.
