As is appropriate, my coursework at Erikson in human development is starting with infancy. Although I took human development courses as an undergraduate, I feel like I am really learning new things here.
One thing that is striking me is how little I have worked with infants. It never came up in my student teaching; and the youngest children I had the opportunity to work with were one-year-olds at the 65th Street Co-op in Seattle - and that was only 90 minutes per week.
There is something fascinating about how infants discover their world - through sensory experiences and through the objects and people around them - and I hope to find the opportunity to work with infants in the future. So many of the wonderful teachers who are writing online now are working with three-year-olds and up. I would love to be reading writing by teachers who are infant teachers. Is there such a thing happening right now? Do you know a fabulous infant teacher who would be willing to share, even just with my curious mind? Send them my way if you do!
Sharing online is such a valuable resource - I hope you agree.
Showing posts with label child development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child development. Show all posts
13 January 2010
12 October 2009
"Problem Behavior"
I have really been thinking about this "problem behavior" that is the topic of so much conversation. I posted yesterday about it, and decided to delete it. Rereading it, I have been very closed minded about the behavior, the stereotypes, and the conceptions (and misconceptions) that people seem to have.
The only important thing to note from what I deleted was that I got a phone call from a parent last Friday saying that her daughter told her that Y choked her. Neither my assistant or I saw this, so I wasn't able to determine the circumstances or anything. I had to take her word. Because Y had been aggressive towards her in the past, I emailed Y's mom and told her about the situation.
Her reaction, on Monday morning, was to say that they talked about it over the weekend. She said that Y is a "good boy", he is not aggressive, but he can be impulsive. She said he probably did it out of frustration.
I did not get into a long conversation with her - we have a parent teacher conference on Thursday and there is more time then. I felt a little frustrated when she left this morning, but I felt myself observing Y with different eyes. Why do we hear something crash to the ground and immediately look for him? Why do we hear someone cry and immediately look for him? Because if you watch him work and play, he can be very engaged, kind to his friends, and careful with his body. If he wants something, he'll grab it, yes. But isn't that behavior that we all showed at some point in our early childhood?
There was a really nice post Leaves & Branches, Trunk & Roots in response to the first post I wrote about Y, after my director came to me about bullying behaviors.
I feel like this is evolving. I feel very invested in his well being (I should, I'm his teacher), but this particular situation is really capturing my attention. For the first time in my career, I am approaching the situation from a positive perspective rather than a negative one. It's not about solving problems, I don't think. It's about celebrating the positive, understanding the child, and figuring out what works and why. It's not about time outs and scolding and making him apologize.
The only important thing to note from what I deleted was that I got a phone call from a parent last Friday saying that her daughter told her that Y choked her. Neither my assistant or I saw this, so I wasn't able to determine the circumstances or anything. I had to take her word. Because Y had been aggressive towards her in the past, I emailed Y's mom and told her about the situation.
Her reaction, on Monday morning, was to say that they talked about it over the weekend. She said that Y is a "good boy", he is not aggressive, but he can be impulsive. She said he probably did it out of frustration.
I did not get into a long conversation with her - we have a parent teacher conference on Thursday and there is more time then. I felt a little frustrated when she left this morning, but I felt myself observing Y with different eyes. Why do we hear something crash to the ground and immediately look for him? Why do we hear someone cry and immediately look for him? Because if you watch him work and play, he can be very engaged, kind to his friends, and careful with his body. If he wants something, he'll grab it, yes. But isn't that behavior that we all showed at some point in our early childhood?
There was a really nice post Leaves & Branches, Trunk & Roots in response to the first post I wrote about Y, after my director came to me about bullying behaviors.
I feel like this is evolving. I feel very invested in his well being (I should, I'm his teacher), but this particular situation is really capturing my attention. For the first time in my career, I am approaching the situation from a positive perspective rather than a negative one. It's not about solving problems, I don't think. It's about celebrating the positive, understanding the child, and figuring out what works and why. It's not about time outs and scolding and making him apologize.
16 December 2008
We're nuts
I am taking a moment off from projects and curriculum and the like to mention something that has been incredibly prevalent in my life as a teacher: the nut-free school. I am in my fifth year of teaching, and every school has been nut-free. It is not hard to adapt, and I am not fighting for the right to have nuts in our cooking activities. But there has to be something unhealthy about a generation of children who are not exposed to peanuts and tree nuts. It is akin to parents not letting their children play outside in the cold or jump in a puddle or eat a handful of dirt.
There are children who have extreme reactions to nuts, and those children should be able to have a classroom environment where there are no nuts and the precautions are taken. But I sit here on a 40 acre nut-free campus. Are we being a little extreme?
This rant was inspired by this article in the New York Times.
There are children who have extreme reactions to nuts, and those children should be able to have a classroom environment where there are no nuts and the precautions are taken. But I sit here on a 40 acre nut-free campus. Are we being a little extreme?
This rant was inspired by this article in the New York Times.
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