Early Childhood Metaphor
It all begins with an idea.
I used to think of children as blank states—empty pages waiting to be written on. That’s what I found so magical about this work at first : the chance to write the first words on a clean canvas.
But over time, I came to realize something else. Children don’t come to school empty-handed. They each bring a bag of their own. Of course, these bags aren’t filled with the same things adults carry. There are no heavy thoughts or past regrets. Instead, inside are simple but quite powerful things : their own ways of expressing emotions, clear likes and dislikes, instincts, and raw, unfiltered selves which are untouched by social expectations.
Children begin unpacking this bag in the little society we call school. They try things out. They cry when things don’t go their way. They grab a toy because they want to play or attract attention. But slowly, social skills begin to seep in. An impulsive grab turns into, “Can I play with you?” A meltdown becomes, “Let me try one step at a time.”
Some children come with routines—emotional scripts they know will make the grown-ups react a certain way. They throw a tantrum, knowing that it usually works. But school is a new kind of space. And when those old routines don’t get the same results, the child begins something new : I need a different way to connect. A different way to express what I want. I want to call it a teachable moment.
To me, this is what early childhood education really is : Helping children unpack what they already carry and slowly translate it into the language of community. Our role as a teacher isn’t to rush or fix. It’s to give them a safe space to open that bag, to look inside without fear, and to gently guide them as they make sense of what they find. To me, that is where the magic truly begins and learning happens, and I hope Little Atelier serves its purpose.