People First

In Brighton last week for the latest PBPeople trainer meeting, Simon, Ann and I discovered the wall mural below and it reminded me of the Protective Behaviours process in the sense that we are all people first and do not have to own the labels handed our way.
This also reminds me of the ' A People Place ' poem in the Training Room area which is something I share a lot with early years practitioners during training sessions. After all, children very rarely have any choice or control over where they are placed for childcare and sometimes the time-limit element could feel endless
Wouldn't it be great if we all lived in a 'People Place' and if home could be one of these places too.

Hi there,
Bearing in mind all that's going on in the world at the moment, not to mention in times gone by, I've been musing and asking the question: 'What's it all about, after all we're all people first?'
This reminded me of a broadcast I heard a while ago on BBC Radio 4 about the life and work of Pau (Pablo) Casals and his book Joys & Sorrows. Unfortunately this title is now out of print, but employing the PB strategy of Persistence and Network Review I was able to find the words that I think could be useful when trying to help children and adults understand that violence is not the answer.

'Each second we live in a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and will never be again. And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two makes four, and that Paris is the capital of France.
When will we also teach them what they are?
We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel.
You are unique.
In all of the world there is no other child exactly like you.
In the millions of years that have passed there has never been another child like you.
And look at your body-what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your cunning fingers, the way you move!
You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.
You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.
And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?
You must cherish one another. You must work - we all must work- to make this world worthy of its children.'

I hope you find this as inspiring and hopeful as I do.

I think this piece of writing is beautiful.
I think it would be wonderful if it were printed on a million rolls of wallpaper and pasted on the walls of every government office, every school and every early years setting in every country around the globe.

Thanks for sharing it, Sally Ann!

My pleasure Judith - and more good news is that I was wrong about the book being out of print so have just purchased a copy as think I will enjoy reading and learning more.
SA