The Choice to Invite

The way we choose to display the materials in our classrooms communicates a lot about the way we view children. Being thoughtful with the materials, and taking the time to present materials in an attractive, inviting way, indicates to children, and the broader community, several things:

• We value their thinking
• We respect their work
• We appreciate the processes in which they engage

In the busy and sometimes hectic world of early childhood education, it can be tempting to simply toss out a bucket of Legos and walk away. But taking the time to stop and reflect shows children that you respect them as thinkers, creators, and builders. It sharpens their sense of your view of them - as capable, inquiring minds who are ready to take on the wonders they encounter each day. It also conveys the message that you have a deep respect for the materials in the classroom and encourages them to internalize the same respect in themselves. Setting high expectations creates an opportunity for children to rise to these expectations; cultivating a community of independent, autonomous children requires this type of thinking.

When the choice is made to make the shift to creating invitations, as opposed to simply tossing out materials with no regard to their presentation, the results are amazing. I've reflected before on the ways in which children tend to be underestimated and I've now come to wonder if it is really on us, the adults, to create opportunities for children to show us just how capable they really are.

It has been fascinating for me to see how thoughtful invitations empower children to see themselves as capable. I often talk about the fact that children still manage to surprise me with their thinking on a regular basis. Never has this been more clear than when I set up materials in an engaging, attractive way and the children rearrange them into something unexpected and spectacular. It is heartening to me to see children take the initiative to set up invitations for themselves and their classmates, invitations full of wonder, beauty, and promise.

It is a wonderful testament to just how capable they are when they start creating invitations that are as intricate and interesting as any adult's!

"Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves." - Jean Piaget

Where I've Been

"[E]ach child is viewed as infinitely capable, creative, and intelligent..."

-Louise Cadwell

A student independently creates a small world play scene.

A new school year is upon us and as I eagerly anticipate the new group of children that will soon be entering the sacred space of our classroom - a space where play rules and the rights of the children are a priority - I find myself reflecting on these small people and where they've been.

I have the privilege of teaching and learning from four-year-old children each day. When I really stop to think about it, it is amazing that these small people have been on this planet for only four short years. Four years! It's really amazing.

I think it is often easy for teachers to welcome a new group of students and immediately lament how much they "don't know." Let us not forget, the students who just left our community had an entire year to get where they were when they left, and although it is sometimes terribly hard to remember, they entered the classroom in the same place as these who are now gracing our doorway. It is so easy - especially in our society, who places so much emphasis on deficits in children entering the school system, rather than recognizing and capitalizing on all of the knowledge they bring - to forget that four-year-old children are filled to the brim with the wisdom of their experiences. 

Children are so often underestimated because of their age. What's four years? A stint in high school? A college career?

Play dough representations.

How much did I learn in my four years in high school? In college? My first four years as a classroom teacher? Loads! Certainly more than I can quantify here. But here's what I didn't learn in any of those chapters of my life: How to walk. How to speak and comprehend an entire language. How to assess and react in various social situations. How to navigate an environment - multiple environments! - that were totally out of my range of experience on a daily basis. The list could continue on and on.

So why are children so frequently underestimated? In the four years before these children walk through my classroom door, they have accomplished much. So much. They come to us each day possessing so much knowledge, so much experience, so much wisdom. They are learners, researchers, artists, musicians. They are storytellers, collaborators, community members, individuals. 

Remembering and reflecting on this fact also helps me keep in the front of my mind that these children enter our space each day as fully capable - and I owe it to them to consistently remind the world.

Exploration of Identities - A Year Long Study

I have been thinking deeply this summer about the ways in which children form identities for themselves each day as they play, learn, and interact with the broader world. I am making a concerted effort, along with my teaching team, to bring this identity exploration to the forefront of our days together in our preschool classroom. The following is an excerpt of the statement I will be sending home to families at the beginning of the school year to inform them of our efforts. My hope is that this first statement will start a conversation with families that will lead to a contribution in the discussion of identities for the entire school year.

Exploring the construction of identities is one of many powerful facets of the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Another is the view of teacher as researcher, helping children co-construct knowledge about who they are and the world and people they encounter each day.

In [our classroom], the facilitators view themselves as teacher-researchers who conduct and participate in research in our classroom on a daily basis. This year, we will be spending a great deal of time in the exploration of the various identities of the children in our community. These identities may include but are not limited to areas of child interest, language, gender, age, culture, ethnicity, family structure, and home, among potential others. This thread will weave into everything we do throughout the entire school year. Exploring identities is a powerful way to help children gain confidence in who they are and learn to appreciate who others are as they continue to become.

 

Thank you for your support in our roles as researchers – teachers and children alike!

Making Learning Visible - A Guest Post at this kindergarten life

I'm thrilled and honored today to be sharing some thoughts about documentation over on the fabulous this kindergarten life. Check it out and be sure to read up on the rest of Laurel's amazing reflections!

"Documentation is not about what we do, but what we are searching for." - Carlina Rinaldi

Sense of urgency?

Feeling a sense of urgency seems, to me, to contradict everything I advocate for as a preschool teacher and mother. In a culture that constantly tells our children to RUSHRUSHRUSH, early childhood teachers and advocates often have to remind families and the broader community that childhood is not a race to some eventual finish line. "Slow down," we say. "Appreciate the moments. Take time to notice and wonder." So how do I reconcile what I know to be true for children with my own break-neck pace when it comes to all of the behind-the-scenes goodness of teaching?

Knowing I am on the cusp of restarting my master's program, I feel an overwhelming sense of urgency. I know this endeavor will take several years and I currently feel like I just can't get started fast enough. Coupled with my excitement and anticipation for pursuing my degree, I have a desire to get started on the next school term. I teach preschool in a year-round lab setting and I often find myself feeling guilty as the hot weeks of summer stretch on. Sure, feeling excited to start a new school year is not crime, but what about the kids who still remain in my class this summer?

I'm really pushing myself to grow as an early childhood educator, particularly in regard to being a more reflective practitioner. What I have learned about myself so far is that being more reflective rarely means being more comfortable. In reality, being more reflective often means being rather uncomfortable as I consider some of my own complacency and think about ways to push myself further as a teacher and advocate. This recent feeling of urgency has certainly given me pause, forcing me to address my discomfort and think about why I feel this way - and, more importantly, what it means for me as a teacher.

I don't really have an answer here; I'm not sure that having one is necessary, or even possible. Rather, this questioning of myself is encouraging me to think about I can offer my students, and my own daughter, by slowing down, breathing deeply, and taking the time to notice and wonder.

And So the Story Begins

What drives an early childhood educator to better practice? I have found that for me, reflection is the key to my better understanding of my students, my colleagues, and myself as a teacher. Intentional reflection is what has helped me grow into my role as an educator of young children more than anything else.

There are always so many reasons not to start a blog: being a full time teacher, full time parent and partner, and a master's degree student being just the tip of the iceberg. But why not force myself out of my comfort zone and share my learning journey along the way?

I hope we can reflect together in this space, for the benefit of ourselves and our students. Come learn with me!