Dear friends, A teacher at our early childhood centre got her students to clap as they spelt out “papaya” loudly together with her and everyone was moving energetically to the rhythm of a rhyming cheer, “P-A-P-A-Y-A, P-A-P-A-Y-A, P-A-P-A-Y-A, PAPAYA-YEH!” When it was clear that everyone could easily spell “papaya,” she carried on with the lesson by introducing the fruit for the children to hold and to discuss its features. This was a learning experience that attended to the children’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. Importantly, it was one where each child succeeded in learning something new. Understanding how a student …