When I started teaching I knew I wanted more for my students than even I could imagine. I wanted to expose them to all types of learning, activities, centers and curriculum. I decided when I was getting my degree that I would take sign language because I had taken Spanish in high school. I am so glad I did, because I used sign language every single day with my students for the 5 years that I taught in public schools. Sign language was an important part of our day. We did the pledge of...
As proven in research, we know that the first 5 years of life are crucial times for a child’s learning and development. All children deserve a quality education, but before education comes, there are certain things they need from the family and community that surround them. Here are 5 ideas that are crucial from birth until the age 5:
As an early childhood professional I think we all ask ourselves: what do children really need at school? What do children really want at school? Some would argue with need and want, saying they can’t be the same thing, but really they are the same thing. As I was teaching and saw different teaching styles and the way classrooms were ran, I learned a lot about what I wanted and needed to do because of what my students needed and wanted:
Children need/want:
...A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about the extinction of play in terms of what everyone considers play and how play has changed over the years. As early childhood professionals we know and understand that play is a child’s vehicle to learning and exploring. We must get others to better understand how the role of play contributes to a child’s development.
Child-initiated play is becoming less...
In this article we will reflect on popular interest areas and or centers in the early childhood classroom. It is important to do this, because often times teachers are accused of only having children play. We must ensure that parents understand that play is a child’s vehicle for learning. I had documentation ready for each center that included: what the center...
What kind of teacher are you?
Would you like to be better at what you do?
Are you at a point where you want to change, or can change?
Do you self-reflect and continually change?
What qualities do you possess that make you the kind of teacher you would want your child to have, or your grandchildren to have?
As I taught, I would think of my nieces and nephews and what kind of person I would want for them to have as a teacher. I tried my hardest to...
When you walk into an early childhood classroom what do you expect to see? Teachers, administrators, staff and educational expects probably expect to see something different than parents, children or community members. Teachers are usually taught in school what is appropriate and needed, to have a warm, welcoming and appropriate environment for each age level. Therefore, hours of thought are put into how their classroom will be set up and ran. 1. There is the HOW to set...
When I was in college I heard all about centers and how fun they were. I observed in classrooms where centers were placed throughout the environment. Until I got my own classroom, I never really understood the effect that centers had a on a classroom setting. I didn’t truly get how centers help children learn skills that I virtually couldn’t teach them...
When I started teaching I knew centers were an important part of an early childhood classroom. I knew we learned about them in college and I had seen them set up in different environments that I had observed in. I didn’t fully understand centers and why they were important until the second week of school my very first year.
To be honest, the centers in my classroom my first year, that first...
All teachers use different strategies and learning opportunities for their students. We all know that we need to change our ideas and teaching each year too, depending on who our students are, what they know and what they need. We are usually given a set of curriculum that either the state has mandated or the school district has adopted. These are...