Treating Children With Respect and Encouragement.
As I walked by a classroom yesterday, I heard a teacher yelling at a student with a very forceful voice and exaggerated body language. This immediately took me to another place and time, the time when Mr. Black karate chopped me so hard in the back of the neck that I peed my pants instantly in front of the entire class. Why, you might ask? Because I ran on a corner of the grass instead of the sidewalk. You see, Mr Black, had a very strict rule that grass was not a place for children. I was playing tag with my friends and in the chase, I took a short-cut across the grass to place the tag. And there he was — I froze in fear. He chopped, and I peed. “Go clean yourself up he growled.” (I wonder how my head stayed attached to my body with that forceful chop).
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Growth Mindset and Young Children
You know what I see when I look at this photo of a classroom from the 1960s? I see a growth mindset classroom! All the tools are there: painting, sensory, blocks, puzzles, dramatic play, art, and smiling faces. As a teacher for nearly 3 decades I know that children learn best through natural curiosity, discovery, a rich environment, through trial and error, through playing and cooperating with others, through failing and succeeding, and through play.
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Words From a Kindergarten Mom
I ran across this quote on Facebook from a special mom and I asked her if I could share it. Even when children have attended preschool, kindergarten is still the pivotal year of change. It is difficult for all adults involved. Taking your child to kindergarten, taking your child to college, two very difficult steps in a parents life. Don't worry mom. I will take good care of him!
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Teacher Please Love My Child
My grandson T. had a kindergarten experience that made me sad indeed.
Instead of waking up each morning with joy for learning, he cried and complained he didn't want to go. He would return home from school with his shirt completely chewed up from nervousness and anxiety. He hated everything about school and treated every question about it with gloom and avoidance.
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