"Can we take apart a human heart and look inside?" That's what a student asked me while we were discussing next steps for our investigation into anatomy and organic systems. As a rational adult, my mind immediately jumped to all the ways such a request could go terribly wrong. Like most sane people, the first... Continue Reading →
In the educational climate of America today, there seems to be a schism that gets wider with each passing day. On one side, there are those that favor more and more skills-based education; they are concerned with making sure that children are able to participate in a rapidly globalizing society by the time they transition... Continue Reading →
Like all people, preschool teachers are really bad at a lot of things. From the activities we design to the words we say to the way we behave, teachers bungle something on a daily basis. Speaking for myself, I don't dance, which as a preschool teacher, is a pretty big deal. It takes a lot... Continue Reading →
Coming face to face with difficult behaviors is an intrinsic and inescapable aspect of working with children. Defiance, bullying, hyperactivity, disinterest, recklessness, destructive tendencies, and lack of volume control are just a few of the practical realities in the life of a preschool teacher. Working alongside students with developmental delays, learning disabilities, or complex home... Continue Reading →
The forest is beautiful, fascinating, green, and full of hopes; there are no paths. Although it isn’t easy, we have to make our own paths, as teachers and children and families, in the forest. Sometimes we find ourselves together within the forest, sometimes we may get lost from each other, sometimes we’ll greet each other... Continue Reading →
Documentation is one of the most crucial aspects of our experience as Reggio-inspired early childhood educators. It is the foundation upon which best practice, strong pedagogy, and personal relationships are constructed. Taking the time to document the things children say and do is one of the primary ways we show students that we consider them... Continue Reading →
After years of working with loose parts, I've come to realize that almost anything can be considered one. We've all seen the ubiquitous bits and pieces: string, glass beads, basket filler, wood scraps, tiles, etc. Like me, some teachers take a more natural approach by incorporating objects like pinecones, tree cookies, seed pods, flower petals,... Continue Reading →
As educators, the words we use have incredible power. Our everyday language is an essential and sometimes overlooked component of the classroom environment, and as such it necessitates a certain degree of vigilance. How we speak to children, and especially how we speak about children, can have a profound impact on the way students behave. ... Continue Reading →
The vast majority of ECEs have a familiar repertoire of children's classics that they sing or play for their students. Many of the songs have melodies, lyrics, and rhyme schemes that are patterned and easy to remember, incorporate familiar themes (like animals or family members), and are augmented by hand or body movements. Songs like... Continue Reading →
Almost any teacher will tell you that pedagogical documentation is invaluable. Inside and outside the classroom, it has a tremendous number of uses encompassing everything from assessment to curriculum development to perpetuating the cycle of inquiry. In many ways, honest and meticulously collected documentation can become a sort of guidance system for the trajectory of... Continue Reading →
Without Windows 