School News
Reflections on Time
The end of a calendar year can be a strange time. To quote world-famous author (and relative of a Fayerweather alum) Roald Dahl, “For the last twelve months, we have all been living in one year and now all of a sudden it is another. It is extraordinary how this tremendous change takes place in the space of a fraction of a second. As the clock approaches midnight on the thirty-first of December you are still in the old year, but then all at once, one millionth of a second after midnight, you are in the new.” As a child, I often felt this feeling of wonder - how does the year change all of a sudden?
The beginning of a new calendar year can also be a strange time. Grownups spend time (and money) crafting new resolutions, intentions, or goals. We resolve to do an activity, break a habit, learn something new, repair a relationship. Kids may think: Why do we do all of this now, at this point in the summer (if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) or the winter (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere)?
As a student (and former teacher) of history, I can point to cultural and sociological reasons why human societies mark calendar years, and time generally, in this way. Ultimately, how we mark time is a social construct that has been developed and refined over the millenia due to different factors, including lunar phases, agricultural considerations, imperial decrees, standardization of train schedules (which created Greenwich Meridian Time), and organizational consistency.
However, as a person who works with children, I listen to the questions kids ask about time and I encourage their curiosity. The concept of bounded time, in general, is strange to young children. Raise your hand if you have had the experience of talking to an elementary-aged kid about needing to finish an activity in 5 minutes, hearing them say “okay”, and then 5 minutes later experiencing their reluctance to leave (ranging from a mild “aww, just 10 more minutes please” to something more explosive)? Kids think: why do I have to stop what I’m doing if it’s fun? Why does this car ride last…so…long…we’ve been in the car forever! Why?
Kids don’t automatically accept the way things are in society. Sometimes they question. Asking questions is at the heart of being human and seeking to make meaning of the world, which is necessary for changing the world. Fayerweather families, as you spend time with your children over the last few days of 2024, whether it’s in a vehicle, in nature, or indoors, consider spending more time than usual being fascinated by your kids’ questions. It has been such a joy for our whole staff to listen to your children’s questions in 2024, and we are excited to listen some more in 2025, when one millionth of a second after midnight on December 31, we are in the new year.
Fayerweather Street School | 765 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 | 617-876-4746
Fayerweather is a private PreK, kindergarten, elementary and middle school. We engage each child’s intellect.