Observing Communication

This observation took place in my kindergarten classroom.  I have a student teacher who has recently taken over instruction.  As I observe her lessons and work with small groups of children, I have more time to genuinely observe and listen to the children in my room.  That is the one part I hate about my job; I am usually the only adult in the classroom with 30 plus students.  Being able to actively listen to each of my students and take in all aspects of their sweet personalities is virtually impossible with all of the instructional and assessment demands.  Needless to say, I am thankful for the opportunity to slow down and observe when I can.  

A new little girl started in our class this week in the afternoon class.  She was used to a full day program, so coming to school after lunch for the first time really had her confused.  She came in the room very nervous; crying and clinging to her mother.  The mother and teacher in me wanted to rush to her side and help her feel better and navigate through our room, but I also knew my student teacher, Lindsey, needed to take the lead on this one.  I was impressed with how well she did.  Lindsey placed her hand on the little girls shoulder and said, “OK sweetie, your mom needs to go now you will see her in a little while.  You are going to stay here with us.  I will show you where to hang up your backpack.”  The child was hesitant and continued to cling to her mother.  Lindsey carefully found the little girls hand and lead her away from her mother. 

Once her mother left, the little girl stood in the middle of the room and did not want to move.  Instead of pressing the issue, Lindsey stood back and gave her some space.  This made me think of “the art of stepping back” (Stephenson, 2009).  As an observer, I could tell the little girl was not ready to join the group yet, and I was proud of Lindsey for noticing the same signs and stepping back to give her the child some space.  Lindsey went on like normal, taking attendance and getting the students started on their day.  After a few minutes, Lindsey squatted down next to the little girl and told her when she was ready; she would help her join the class.   The child nodded and said she was ready.  After that, the little girl had a great day and seemed to relax and have fun with the other children.  I am proud of Lindsey for helping her transition so easily.    

Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=37131016&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Creating Affirming Environments

With my own children being so little, there are days I wish I could afford to stay home and have a child care center in my home.  This assignment was fun for me because it gave me more time to plan my little dream.  As I was thinking about this assignment, before I even watch the video for this week, I was thinking my center would have to have a space for children to calm down if they are upset when they leave their parents in the morning.  I was also thinking that there needs to be a way to communicate with the families on a daily basis.  Adriana Castillo had both of those in her amazing center.  After reading our text and watching the video, I also want an area to display artifacts or special pictures that families bring in.  “A useful rule of thumb is that more than half of the materials in the environment should reflect the identities of the specific children in that classroom”(Derman-Sparks, Olsen Edwards, 2010).  I would be sure to keep this in mind as I was preparing the center. I especially liked the list of cautions to consider when purchasing new items for the center on page 45 of our text, and would be sure to have it on hand as I was purchasing items for the center.      

I LOVED the skin color pillows Adriana Castillo had in her center and would be sure to have them in mine.  I would also be sure to have dolls, puppets, books, and puzzles depicting children of all races and ethnicities.  I would also have mirrors hanging in the play area so children can see themselves and their peers and have discussions about their differences as the notice them.  

Overall, I would hope that my center would feel like a home away from home for the children and a place where the parents would feel comfortable staying and visiting if time permitted.  I want it to be a place where children can discover who they are away from their own home environment and develop a life-long love for learning. 

References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J.O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).