The Wise Fool's Wisdom: Lessons from 28 Years in Preschool

I Just wrapped up my 28th year of doing the preschool! We finish the year with a sweet graduation ritual for our departing elders and the much anticipated parent/child talent show. After sharing some gratitude and love for all with some shared tears for us adults, I juggled while singing one of the kids favorite songs to warm things up for our talent show. The combo of vulnerability and playfulness brings a sense of sacredness and safety as the parents surprise me with their carefree approach to the moment. I’m always delighted with the unexpected talents that show up for our event. The Wise Fool is here!

After proceedings comes a dramatic shift for me. A liminal space opens up as I sit within the sudden stillness as the last families depart. As I sit and breath into the moment tears begin to flow. A sense of loss for the departing kids I’ve known for 3 years. True friends I won’t be seeing much anymore. But the loss is also something deeper. My own lost childhood and struggles are woven in. So I let myself feel . And then unexpectedly comes the laughter. Gentle, grounding, familiar. The Wise Fool has arrived and they know.

They know when to grieve and when to play, the alchemy of the two a potent combo.

They know the value of intuition and unconventional thinking.

They understand the importance of uncomfortable truths revealed through play and laughter.

They see that social norms and expectations are often barriers to our true, heart-centered potential.

They know that children are too often missed as real teachers of forgotten truths.

And they know why I still find moments of hope and joy despite the darkness of these times.

It’s because I spend regular time with children.

And being with them—truly being with them—is like standing at the edge of the beginning again. It’s like witnessing a human reset. A return. A remembering. A chance to reconnect with the Wise Fool.

Children are born radiant. Heart-centered, community-oriented, empathic to the core. They are wildly creative and endlessly curious, moved by an instinct to explore, express, and connect. They long to be seen, not for who we want them to be, but for who they already are. And in that longing, there’s something so ancient and sacred. Something calling out directly from the Mystery.

Every day, they remind me of who we once were. Who we might still be beneath the layers of fear, distraction, and disconnection we’ve picked up along the way.

Their presence has been a quiet teacher to me over the years. A mirror. A compass. Little by little, their wisdom—yes, wisdom—has helped me begin to reclaim some of the essence I had lost. And with that essence, a kind of healing. A growing sense of wholeness. A fragile but real return to myself. The Wise Fool front and center once more with moments of real hope and joy.

It’s ongoing. I’m still learning. Still unlearning. Still a work in progress with lots of grief to be with, as well.

So, here’s my plan going forward as an educator and guide during dark times.

Step aside.
Make space.
Let nature do what it knows how to do.

Community values and matters of the heart will be our foundation.

Individual creative expression will be our guide.

Children don’t need to be filled with our fears, or shaped by our wounds. They need space to breathe. To play. To fail and flourish. To grow wild and wise in their own time. The more we get out of their way, the more we realize they’re already carrying the seeds of everything they need and everything we’re longing for .

And while we step back and allow that natural unfolding, let’s do something else—something urgent, tender, and deeply human.

Let’s begin the work of rediscovering our own childhood essence. The parts of us that still know how to feel deeply, imagine wildly, and love without armor.

Let’s remember who we were, before the world told us who to be.
Before we forgot.
Before it’s too late.

The Wise Fool within knows! Just say hello and let the reclamation begin.

Much Love!

The Mad Preschool Teacher (He/Him)