Gadevang Asyl

The second half of our class period was spent on a field visit at Gadevang Asyl. Gadevang is a special community of children and parents that fosters the principles of en god barndom by providing a conducive environment that supports play and peace. The members of the staff at Gadevang are referred to as aunts or pedagogue and hardly ever as teachers. There is not much of an English translation for a Danish pedagogue. The members of the staff don't like to refer to themselves as teachers because they aren't teaching. They are aiding, supporting, and providing guidance when needed. Here you will find young children out on the playground, climbing trees, wrestling with each other, and napping whenever they feel like it, all with very little adult supervision. Adults are often in other rooms completing other tasks, but are always available to help. This allows children to find the confidence to ask for help when needed. Our group was watching these children play in awe. In the United States there are so many rules and regulations about what kids can and cannot do that often get in the way of children playing and being themselves. Because our daycare and after-school programs are so structured and monitored, it is difficult to fathom having so much freedom as a child.

If a kid decided they wanted to go home with a friend, all they had to do was write in a log book who would be picking them up and the friend's parent would verify it as well. This is providing children with the freedom to decide how their time will be spent. I could see how this would be frustrating for a parent to get to Gadevang to pick up their child only to have to drive to another location, but this is what the parent signed up for by participating in this program. This is part of utilizing community resources to raise children. I want to go back in time and go to this daycare! I remember one specific instance as a child when I really wanted to go to my best friend Roxy's house. During school we designed an elaborate story for Barbie and her friends to go on an adventure, and did everything possible to convince our parents that having a play date would be a worthwhile experience. We planned everything out perfectly only to have Roxy's mom say no at the very last minute. It was heartbreaking. I just wanted to play Barbie's with my friend. If only we had gone to a school like Gadevang where we called the shots, Barbie would have been able to go on the adventure of her life and I would have gone to sleep happy. Gadevang was an inspiring school and it would be interesting to implement some of their principles into American schools and measure the effectiveness.