Familia Alvarez: July 2009

I have become increasing more aware of the learning process that is taking place as Joslin goes throughout her daily activities. It is a beautiful and truly amazing process. The sponge analogy is very appropriate. I wish I could crawl into her brain as the connections are being made to see how it is all happening. She is continually making connections and transferring previous knowledge to new tasks and activities.
I think my favorite is when she says new words that she has never been prompted to say. The other night she was saying "namas". It took a few times before I put it together, pajamas. However, a couple times lately she has been repeating words that I could not figure out. This is frustrating for both of us. Then, there are also the times when she repeats the words that I wish she would not have heard. I must remember that she is ALWAYS listening.
It is amazing to me how observant she is of the environment around her. I guess we have learned to filter out most of the information that we see/hear so that we can focus on what is important to us. She on the other hand notices everything as she tries, so hard, to figure out how the world around her works. The other morning there was only one pillow on the bed. That was cause for concern to Joslin. Once she saw it on the floor by the bed, she had to immediately put it back where it belonged. She also saved me from leaving my wallet in the Dillon's bathroom the other day. She noticed that I had set it down and not picked it up. (That should have been one of the things for me not to filter out huh?) Then there are the sounds. Every siren, train whistle or rumble of thunder get an "Oi"( meaning "to hear" in Spanish). Things that I never would have heard otherwise.
I am also extremely curious about how music and learning are intertwined. She often starts dancing or singing along before the words even begin. She just knows from the tune what to do. What a strong link between the notes and the words in her little head. It must have something to do with why we can remember all of the words to songs that we haven't heard in a decade or more. (Note to self: Use music more in the classroom)
I think that it is partly amazing to me because everything that she does is amazing to me, but also the teacher in me loves to see this foundations of learning being built. It is a truly amazing thing to see.