This was the theme for the Children’s Nursing Educators Forum held on the 20^th July 2022. An online meeting brought together twenty-five members from across the continent, to connect and listen to the wise words of our guest speaker, Dr Rose-Ann Reynolds.

Rose-Anne received her PhD in Education from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and is an Early Childhood Education lecturer in the School of Education at UCT, who has shared her PhD research and Philosophy with Children practice around the world. Her words were not only relevant for us as Children’s Nurses but also as Educators.

Our discussion with her included, Philosophy with Children and the Principles of a Philosophical Enquiry and a focus on the adults as nursing educators.  

Discussion in smaller groups was generated by thinking about:

• Who asks the questions in the classrooms?
• What creates silence in the classroom?
• And do we allow for philosophical thoughts in the classroom?

Take away message:

We need to disrupt traditional thinking, for example: teaching spaces should see us move away from conventional rows to circles of inclusion.

“We need to listen to and with children and this matters for all teaching and learning”