Who is welcome in your classroom? --I mean REALLY welcome--

Early childhood is a place of warmth and kindness where everyone belongs and we learn to get along, right?  We learn to play nicely together.  We learn to be fair and include everyone.  Do we really include everyone?  Really?

Imagine being a three-year-old who does not speak English.  Imagine walking into a busy classroom where no one looks like you, none of the pictures on the walls look like anyone from your family, and no one can understand what you mean when you say “I am scared”.  How would you feel with people coming to you to bring you into a group of children where everyone says things you don’t understand.  You don’t know where to hang your coat.  You don’t know where the bathroom is.  You don’t know how to ask.  You don’t know the right words to tell someone you need help.  You are alone with all of these people around you. 

How much would a warm smile from a teacher mean to you at that moment? How much would you give to hear the words “It will be okay” in your native language?

You start to cry.  You hear one teacher say something to a mother who’s dropping her child off.  You have no idea that the teacher tells that parent “She’s okay.  She’s new and she doesn’t speak English—that’s why she’s crying”.  You start to cry harder as this other woman looks at you with a tilt of the head and a half smile.

Of course I have chosen an extreme scenario to tug at your heart strings and get you to feel a little bit of what that might be like.  The fact of the matter is that children who are new to the English language and culture(s) are entering early childhood facilities more than ever.  As Early Childhood Educators, we know we can make a difference in the life of every child and every family.  We can make this situation an easier transition for everyone involved.

What things can be done to avoid the situation above? Being prepared for newly enrolled families is a wonderful way to help children and families feel that they belong.  Work with whomever enrolls families to get any information that you can work with.  Here are some tips:

·         Learn some words in the family’s native language.  Learn how to open the communication process with them.

·         Show respect for their culture.

·         Add some books and music that reflect their culture. 

·         Add some items in dramatic play that mirror common foods and daily dress.

·         Do some research on the culture.  Learn about it.

·         Have open houses and invite families.

·         Use a translation tool on the internet and write a short questionnaire for parents (what is your child’s favorite story, song, etc.  Clear with your Director, of course.)  Get those stories and CD’s from the library or ask to borrow them from the family.

·         Have a family member read some stories in their native language and record them on tape. These can be added to the classroom library.

·         Ask family members to volunteer in the classroom or share some traditions with the class.

·         In the classroom, use a picture schedule with some words on it.  This will be easier for all children to understand, thereby providing information about what to expect next.  This will add to a feeling of security.

·         Label some things around the classroom in their native language.  Children will learn English more effectively when they have their familiar native words interspersed.

There may be times when you have no control over advanced notice of newly enrolling families.  You’ll just have to do the best you can.  You will still be in the unique and powerful position to help the child and family feel secure.  We know how important security and a sense of belongingness are to the learning process.  We also know that Early Childhood Educators can make the world a better place—one child at a time.

Are you someone like me that views the start of the school year as a bit like the start of the New Year?

There's something about "Back to School" that says "New Beginnings" for everyone. If you are fortunate enough to be a teacher you get to begin again with another group of active young children and their families. There is nothing more exciting than this new beginning!

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to begin new with observation and assessment. Generally everyone in early childhood education agrees that assessment is important, but many do not understand the process. In theory most people believe assessment is important. The difficulty becomes in how to make the assessment process manageable and authentic.

Authentic assessment is described as a series of developmentally appropriate methods. It is the process of gathering information about children to inform instruction. This means that assessment is part of what a teacher does everyday in the classroom as she promotes developmentally appropriate practices. There are many examples of authentic assessments such as work samples, photographs, videos showing work in progress, comments by adults working with the children, transcriptions or audio recordings of children’s discussions, and children’s dictated thoughts, and stories. It is easy to manage this type of assessment because most of the items listed are samples of things you do everyday in the classroom.

Observation is another key piece of assessment. Observation is best done during children’s informal work and play times. In other words, being a “kid watcher” and writing down what you observe. You need to be deliberate about the skills that you are looking for and systematic in recording your observations. Observations allow teachers and parents to see and record the actual capabilities, language, and reasoning of children in relation to everyday events.

Another important piece of assessment is collaboration. Teachers and parents should collaborate because children often show very different abilities in different settings. The most accurate picture of a child comes when parents and teachers share observations made in these different settings. Now is the time to have parents fill out forms where they list their child’s interests, strengths, and areas for growth. This is the beginning of collecting parents’ observations. Parent and teacher collaboration is so important because it builds good communication between the home and school and provides a true picture of the child’s capabilities.

Observing and assessing children’s learning must be foremost in your mind as you begin this new school year. That is the only way to plan and guide your instruction. By having specific policies and consistent practices in place for observation and assessment you send a clear message that children’s learning is the focus of the day and their growth and progress is of utmost importance.

As families begin this New Year with you they want to know that you know what you are doing and that you care about their child. Observation and assessment provides a great way for parents to be sure of these two things! So, go forward and begin a new year with observation and assessment in mind!

Of course we want to protect young children from all that could possibly harm them in life.  We want them to be happy.  We want to steer them away from anything that could cause discomfort.  We don’t want them to struggle…Do we?

Can we go too far with this?  Is it possible to protect them too much?

Consider this.  Two-year-old Robert struggles to get his coat on.  He begins this age-old toddler two-step by putting his arm in the wrong sleeve while the other arm on his circling body searches for the empty sleeve that always seems to be just out of reach.  A kind adult intervenes immediately and says “Here, dear.  Let me do that for you”.  She takes the coat off of Robert, realigns it, pushes one arm in the first sleeve, and then the other. 

Later that morning on the playground, one of Robert’s mittens falls off.  He picks it up and begins the struggle of using his little sausage fingers to work that mitten back on.  A well-meaning adult quickly steps in and says “Here, dear.  Let me do that for you”.  She takes the mitten from Robert and pulls it back into place over his hand.

What’s wrong with that?  In her effort to keep Robert from struggling, the well-meaning adult also prevented Robert from opportunities to develop the skills he needs.  He missed a chance to develop small motor skills by practicing grasping and pulling that mitten.  He’ll need those skills later to be able to write.  He missed a chance to figure out where the thumb spot goes--near the top or the bottom. He’ll need these skills later to solve problems.  More importantly, he missed that chance to know that he can do it by himself eventually. --To know that on the other side of struggle is success. –To know that he is capable.  He’ll need this self-confidence to be successful throughout his life.

What messages might Robert be gleaning from these repeated well-intentioned, helpful interventions?  You are not able to do this for yourself.  You are not capable. You are helpless.  Certainly this was never the true intention of the adult.

Is this an extreme example?  Of course it is.  Does this mean we should never help a child who is struggling?  Of course not.  Most assuredly there are limits to the amount of struggle that is healthy.  We do not ever want children to feel unsafe or removed from our support and care.  We do, however, want to choose when to intervene and when to let children struggle a bit. 

Struggle is a necessary part of growth.  Theorist Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development provides a snapshot of what a child can do independently and what he can do with scaffolding (help) from others.  We want the child to move through this zone by being challenged just beyond his comfort zone until he is capable of doing the task without assistance.  That’s where the struggle comes into play.

While we don’t want to totally remove the struggle, we do want to maximize its benefits.  Here are some ways to do that.  In a situation where a child is struggling, ensure first of all, that the child is safe.  Go from there. 

Let him struggle a bit before intervening. 

• Do intervene before the child gets overwhelmed. 
• Ask him if he would like some help. 
• If he answers “yes” then help just enough for him to be able to meet the challenge. He may then be able to complete the task on his own. 
• Provide encouragement. Some examples are “You are working hard to get that on.  It must feel good to do that by yourself.  You almost got it—Good for you!  How does that make you feel inside?  You did it!” and so on.

It may be difficult for you to watch a child struggle a bit.  Close your eyes and picture little Robert. Do you see a child who needs you to put his coat on or do you see a child who is fighting to gain resilience and self-confidence?  You can help him develop what he needs for the rest of his life. 

That is the power of struggle.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. London: Harvard University Press.

When I first started teaching (I won’t say how long ago it was), I had my classroom EXTREMELY organized because I liked it organized.  Having order and logic seemed to make my days run more smoothly.  The teachers I worked with would often tease me (in good fun) about being so “picky” about my classroom.  But, even so, I knew that I liked my environment organized and dedicated much of my time and energy to the idea.

It was not until I became more educated and experienced, that I learned that an organized environment is actually crucial for CHILDREN.  I now will stand by the fact that the children LEARN more when the room is organized (it is no longer about me):

• First, the way you arrange your classroom sends children messages.  If you have centers that are organized and inviting, children will want to engage in that area.  One example is a home living area.  If you have all the food and dishes thrown into a bin and all the dolls pilled into the cradle, the children MAY choose to play there and dig for what they need.  HOWEVER, if you have the dishes organized with labels and the food separated in bins, and the babies are in the high chair, the cradle (neatly with a blanket), and buckled in the stroller, the children will be more likely to look to that area and think, I want to play there. 

• Additionally, if you have areas organized you can GUIDE children to try something new, to take risks, and scaffold their learning through the way you arrange the environment.  For example, if you have a sorting tray in the math area and things to sort that are always on the shelf and covered, children may never think to try sorting.  However if you set the tray out on the table and sort a few items while setting the open bin next to the sorting tray, it may spark children's interest in sorting.

• An organized environment creates many opportunities for social and emotional development.  For example, having organized areas that clearly layout expectations, provides children with opportunities to learn respect (supplies, materials, environment).  Also, having areas that invite a few children to work together helps children develop their social skills.

• Another part of an organized classroom that promotes children's learning is the CLEAN UP process.  Having children participate in cleaning up the classroom is a wonderful way to promote competence and self-confidence.  Additionally, if the room is organized and shelves are labeled (with both pictures and words), children are learning matching and visual discrimination skills during clean up (important beginning math and literacy skills).

• Accessible, organized materials promote independence.  Children will learn to make choices on their own if we ensure that materials are available to them.  When children make choices, they become more engaged in learning that is individually meaningful.

• Children's behavior can also be positively impacted by an organized environment.   An example, of this is when I created a "no build zone" in my block area.  I noticed that the children in the block area were sitting down right next to the shelf of blocks and building their structure.  When another child would come along to also build, he would have to reach over the top of the other child's structure, consequently often knocking over part of the structure.  As you can imagine this was creating conflict in the block area.  After observing, I decided to institute a "no build zone" in the block area.  I simply took tape and taped off a couple feet in front of the block area (neatly, of course) to create an area where the children would not build their structures.  This was a great way to organize the environment to positively impact children's behavior.  I firmly believe that if there is mistaken behavior in a classroom, the teacher should FIRST look to the environment.

Thus, as you can see, there are many ways that an organized environment supports CHILDREN’S learning.  I would love to hear your thoughts and examples---how do your ideas for an organized environment support children’s learning?