A:

I was playing with a few of the little girls, and they wanted to use my cell phone as a
stopwatch while they completed various activities, such as jumping over puzzles or doing push
ups. This was going really well, and more children kept joining us to play. Generally I would
work the stopwatch while the children participated, but occasionally a child wanted to work the
stopwatch so that I could participate as well.
One little girl, however, eventually stopped playing our game and decided to play her
own game of trying to take control of my phone. I wouldn’t let her have it, because I only wanted
the phone to aid the children in their play, rather than being the sole focus of the play. The little
girl kept reaching around me, trying to grab my phone, but I was able to keep it out of her reach
by putting it behind my back and above my head. During her struggle, she would lift up my
cardigan to try to see if my phone was in my back pocket. She kept asking for the phone, but I
would not let her have it.
Finally, I thought that she had given up on trying to secure my phone. I saw her standing
on a bench, smiling at me, and I assumed that she had decided to play. So I was able to focus
on my game with the other children again, where we decided what activity they would compete
in, and then another little girl would let me know when to stop the stopwatch. I was focused on
our game, with my back turned, when all of a sudden someone landed on me. It was the little
girl who had been trying to grab my phone. She had jumped from the bench and tried to latch
onto the side of me to get my phone.

B:
● Surprised to be jumped on
● Excited to get to play with the children

C:
● The students were having fun playing
● The phone wasn’t distracting most of the students from playing
● The phone was a distraction to one little girl
● I hope this little girl doesn’t get in trouble for pulling up my cardigan
○ I know that she will not be able to reveal anything underneath
● I want the little girl to get back to our game
● Maybe it was a mistake taking the phone out
● I’ve got to figure out how to get this little girl to stop trying to get the phone

D1:
I don’t like it when children only want to play with phones. I think children should play with their
peers, materials and imaginations. I understand that children really like to play with phones,
though. I am okay allowing my phone to aid them in their playing for a few minutes, as long as
the phone isn’t the main feature of the activity. I would say that my biggest assumption was that
it was best for the little girl to play with the other children, rather than on my phone.

D2:
Malaguzzi would support my assumption I believe. This is because he considered the
environment to be the child’s third teacher, and when a child is distracted by the world on a
screen, they are not paying attention to what they could learn from their environment. I don’t
want to forget the situation of the little girl who was trying to get my phone. I understand that
many of the St. Mary’s families do not have much money. Because of this, it is possible that the
little girl’s parents don’t have phones, so perhaps she was interested in it or simply wanted the
opportunity to play on one.

The idea of the children making up a game where they competed against each other in a certain
amount of time goes along with Stage 3 of Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychological Development,
“Initiative vs. Guilt.” In this stage, children start to play with their peers and create new games
with each other.

D3:
I would say a big factor that drove me during this moment was my childhood versus the
childhood of my cousins. Growing up, there weren’t smart phones, so I was left to play with my
toys, friends and imagination. I have so many good memories of playing when I was young.
Further, playing make believe gave me options to try different things out. For example, I would
make believe that I was a teacher or an office worker or a waitress. Because I loved playing
“school” so much, I decided at a young age that I want to be a teacher. My cousins, on the other
hand, are constantly on smartphones, and it drives me crazy. First of all, they’re so distracted
that they can’t even hold a conversation, but moreover, I know that they are losing out on so
many precious memories. I know that they won’t remember the time on the phones in the same
way that I remember my time playing. Further, playing with others allowed me the social
interaction piece, and helped me bond with my parents. My cousins barely interact with anyone,
because they seclude themselves whenever they’re playing games or watching YouTube on the
phone. I want to give kids the opportunity to play like kids and experience wonderful memories
just like I got to. That being said, I also didn’t grow up in a society where everyone was always
on their phones. These kids have. I think that makes a huge difference. Kids generally tend to
follow the example of adults, and since adults spend a good chunk of their time on their phones,
it makes sense that kids want to do the same thing. I think that my background aligns with the
perspectives I am learning. I have firsthand experience that the environment is a teacher of
children, and I want to make sure other children have that same experience. Also, when kids
rely on the games that phones have, they are missing out on part of Erikson’s Stage 3, because
when kids play on phones, they have no reason to make up games or play with others.

Artifact:
For my artifact, I took a picture of myself and painted/drew my own self portrait, just like the
students did on the wall. I noticed that sometimes the kids used crazy colors when coloring
themselves, so I didn’t mind giving myself purple hair when I didn’t have the correct color of
paint. I chose this picture because I can see the curiosity in my eyes, even as a one year old. I
think this speaks to the image of the child in the idea that children are curious and wonder about
the world around them.