Super (Thoughtful) Heroes

In Missy Prewitt’s early childhood class, super heroes “work together to fight bad things.” What sorts of bad things? Someone not being nice on the playground or someone taking something that doesn’t belong to them. When the girls were trading stories about how some favorite TV heroes “save the day,” Ms. Prewitt seized the opportunity to teach the girls about hero character traits. With their teacher’s prompting, the girls drove the discussion over several days, finally deciding that Hutchison superheroes would focus on three powers: solving problems; being kind and thoughtful; being a team player.

Adorable capes and masks aside (Ms. Prewitt made them, and the girls decorated), the evolution of these Pre K super heroes illustrates Hutchison’s student-centered philosophy in Early Childhood, an approach based on the Emilio Reggio’s theory of education.