Kober House, First Floor

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3. The children There are usually 14 children in Hawkins’s class; she’s assisted by a graduate student from the Art of Teaching or Child Development program and several undergraduate participant-observers doing fieldwork for their classes.

4. Imaginary fire truck Building social confidence is an important part of Hawkins’s classroom. She refers to the children as “friends”—as in, “would any of my friends like to drive the truck?”—which sets the tone for the classroom and gives children a framework for understanding their relationships. If someone is your friend, there’s an expectation of how you should treat each other.