from a Reflection Writing Retreat at Shelburne Farms

What Does Sustainability Look Like
to a Six Year Old in the Inner City?

by Lois L. DArcangelo

After thirty years of teaching, Lois D’Arcangelo began—with the support of Shelburne Farms— to look at how to build the concept of sustainability in a First Grade. She says, “First graders have lived a short time. They are eager to learn and need concrete, hands-on experiences. They are developmentally egocentric and are taking their first look at their place in their communities. The task for their teachers then becomes how to broaden our minds and even lengthen our historical perspective about what we can accomplish in this age group.”


The concept of Sustainability seems to denote time, in a sense a look at the past, present and future of our own lives, building and sharing an understanding of our family community.

However family is defined, it seems to be at least one jumping off place for understanding community. Although I don’t see sustainability as smallest to largest increments, I do try to introduce new themes and essential questions by utilizing something concrete and known. Our Essential Question was “What cycles do we have in our community?” We began by making a time line about our families, thus about what we knew about life. Our look at family history led to what my family needs; how might I be able to help sustain my family? In other words, how can I help improve the quality of life in my family? This is a concrete, achievable concept to help us understand and feel sustainability. This first look at sustainability has allowed us to refer back to our basic understanding.

Building our school community is an ongoing challenge as we expand our sense of space. We have developed growth goals—academic and social—that are meant to help sustain our classroom. These goals are specific and attainable. Examples are: I will walk to the Learning Center with a friend, return my book and walk back to our classroom. Or, I will talk about a book with a partner. I will share ideas about the book and my partner will share ideas, too. While staying true to the ideas the children set forth as goals, the children and I worked hard to create challenging and attainable goals, not dreams.

"I have the feeling that compassion spreads. So a question for educators is:
How do we create a classroom that spreads compassion?"

I am thinking now about having the children develop a rubric to assess their goal. This would help show the growth over time that connects so well to sustainability, which is improving the quality of life for all now, and into the future. Another thought would be to look at goals outside of academia. In these times of “Leave No Child Behind” academic goals seem to be well attended to, while social goals seem to be well hidden. We strive to improve the quality of life for all by keeping our social goals before us.

It seems that an accurate consideration of sustainability must encompass a broader sense of community. How can we improve the quality of life for others, those outside our families and beyond our egocentric six-year-old experiences? My colleague and I decided that we would “adopt” the Ronald McDonald House as a larger community-based project. Our local Ronald McDonald House is a home away from home for the families of children receiving treatment at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont. Our “buddies” for this project are fourth and fifth graders.

We contacted the Director of Ronald McDonald House and went to the House for our first visit. Pam Fenimore, the Director, shared the purpose of the House and shared some ideas of ways we could help meet the needs of the people residing there. Some of the suggestions were:
1. Baking healthy snacks
2. Making meals at Ronald McDonald House
3. Housekeeping: vacuuming, dusting
4. Stocking bathrooms
5. Organizing the storeroom
6. Picking up trash
7. Washing toys
8. Planting/gardening


Some of the above suggestions are on-going in our project. We are now seeking additional suggestions and will be asking children to make three choices of service areas. Although Ronald McDonald House is within walking distance, it is challenging to find responsible adults to guide the children in their work at the House.

I have the feeling that compassion spreads. So a question for educators is: How do we create a classroom that spreads compassion? What are the little, caring things that make a difference to children? What makes children feel loved and supported enough to share the tough stuff and take risks? I am grateful for my thirty years of growth over time. This is one way of saying “What do I keep and what do I throw away?”

First of all, I greet each child every day all year! Our classroom is our space and our comfort zone. I strive to build personal relationships in an easy way, supporting the children through unsnagging zippers and tying shoes. Even with young learners, verbal play now and then is fun.

Secondly, I encourage children to be smart thinkers and strive to let them know that smart thinking is not always right answers. I cheer for smart thinking and risk taking, no matter when it happens!

During snack time I sit with a different group of children each day. We chat and build on their interests. We volley the conversation among the group much as you would try to keep a balloon in the air. Lastly, I play with children at recess or any other time I have a minute, striving to know them as human beings and not just academic entities.

“It seems likely that if we explore the world within and the world outside,
we will grow in understanding of both and in our relationships.”
Mary Louise Holly, Writing to Grow

In teaching First Grade, I keep in mind that learning needs to begin with each child moving from a place that s/he knows to an empowerment that we can nurture step by step, day by day, week by week and year by year in order to make a difference in the world!