Stories of Listening: Zenya (age 5)
Captured by Deb Wilenski
Labyrinth Languages
Week one of school, Zenya shapes his construction, Veda makes snakes. Both work with repeated actions, in flow. I sit next to Zenya making similar shapes to his and communicate with him this way, through imitation and side-by-side company. Veda talks and announces each snake. Her voice is an important part of our conversation. From my notebook: piece by piece, concentrating, paying attention to detail, Zenya’s eyes watch his hands, but he seems to hold a bigger picture in mind too. How does he view the world? What are these structures that repeat in his models and drawings? How are they significant?
Zenya is Russian speaking from Ukraine and new to English. For the first part of the year he does not speak out loud unless to his Ukrainian friend. Zenya resists more formal parts of learning but works brilliantly in project time. I sometimes wonder: ‘Is it ok that Zenya draws labyrinths in place of letters? Is it ok for me to welcome each one and travel it with him? Is it ok for us to converse through funny things held to the eyes? But one of Zenya’s many brilliances is to call beliefs into question. His drawings speak, his looks communicate clearly. The other children understand Zenya, laugh at his jokes, miss him when he is not there. Listening differently, we hear a maze of meanings, a delight in building worlds, adventure, humour, beauty.
LABYRINTH LANGUAGES:
Shaping, connecting, drawing, traveling, tricking, playing, composing, writing, narrating, finding, losing, chasing, enclosing, exploring, delighting