Early childhood teachers, hold a great many responsibilities in their hands, responsibilities that many might not realize they hold.
A teacher is an instructor to be sure, but they are and should be so much more. A teacher is a sculptor and a gardener, an artist and a scientist, a warm nurturing presence as well as a stern disciplinarian, etc, etc. There are a lot of hats to wear when you are a teacher, We have many roles.
We have the job of aiding parents and guardians in raising their young children, this job seems to become more difficult every year. The truth of the matter is this, we as adults are often very selfish, to often teachers just want to take the easy way, which is understandable, they are only human.
It is very easy to ignore or trivialize a child's problems and feelings, we as a society often feel that we've "earned the right" to be in control, and that children can just deal with it until it is their turn. I remember this attitude from my own childhood, it sucked plain and simple, and it certainly didn't help my ability to work with or get along with others, fortunately this wasn't always the prevalent attitude in my childhood.
One thing that I deeply appreciate about my life growing up, was my deep entrenchment in nature.
I grew up in the woods, the woods in the foothills of the sierra Nevada's in northern California. I still very clearly recall the towering pine trees, and the spreading branches of the Madrona trees, I loved watching my gardens bloom along with all of the wild flora, and I was always so surprised and excited by all of the animals I would see everyday. I knew when spring was coming when the robin redbreast's started flitting around, I also new it would probably mean more kittens soon too. I know these things because I grew up in nature, I learned to appreciate it and respect it. I now know that those things I learned then, that seem so trivial to some, are extremely important to our overall growth and development, that connection to nature is vital to our social-emotional and cognitive development, that connection to nature can also be used to further children's development in other areas as well, such as fine and gross motor skills, science and art, etc, etc.
I believe that when we teach children, we should place emphasis on nature and teach in nature whenever possible. Obviously it is not always practical to teach in a forest or even just outside in the school garden, this why I believe classrooms should be constructed and designed to better incorporate nature into the curriculum, decorating the classroom with various non-toxic ( as well as forgiving ) houseplants plants, such as common fresh herbs used for seasoning for the children to help take care of, also class pets where possible. I also believe that children should be encouraged to just go outside and watch, and to "journal" about what they see and hear, and then to share what they recorded in their journal with their class. Activities like this build on children's awareness of the world around them, it builds language skills through discussion after their journal time, teacher's can help provide or find names for new things that their students otherwise might not have a name for. We have a great many things to learn from nature, I believe starting early is of utmost importance.
I believe in respecting each individual child as well as their home and culture. I believe in promoting the connection between home and school, this connection is vital to not only the child, but to the family and to the teacher. When the connection between home and school is not strong and steady, their is increased stress for the child, the family, and the teacher, When there is increased stress, development for the child can become arrested, leading to certain potentials never being reached.
To promote the connection between the teacher, child, and home, I would plan a number of interactive events, such as nature hikes, or cultural exchange parties, inviting parents and other relatives to come and participate in these events. I would also be sure to encourage parents and relatives to volunteer in the classroom on a regular basis, thus creating not only child oriented learning, but family oriented learning. I feel that when parents and other family members are more actively involved in the classroom, that they are more involved with their child's education and development at home as well as more aware of the importance of that education and development in the home environment. In addition I would also be sure to maintain a monthly newsletter, detailing what we will primarily focus on, birthdays that month, fun family activities and resource events for the month, and also a brief summary of the month previous.
I would welcome each child and family, no matter how they differ, whether it be a difference in religion, or heritage, or special needs, be it a dietary restriction or a physical or developmental handicap, I would do my best to reasonably accommodate each individual child and family to best promote each child's growth. No one should ever feel ostracized because they are different.
My philosophy is a bit of a mixed bag, I take some of my curriculum cues from others, such as Reggio Amelia, the Forest schools, the Green school (Bali), and also from the Guba Farm Playschool (Swaziland), I recently discovered some of these approaches to teaching children and some of them I've known of previously, and I have found that they very much support my belief that children have the right and the need to be treated with respect, and that they be allowed to learn in a way that is natural to them, through play and discovery, and that nature and natural materials should be promoted not shunned, that community is essential, pooling resources to help everyone adult and child alike to meet the best possible outcome.
One thing that I deeply appreciate about my life growing up, was my deep entrenchment in nature.
I grew up in the woods, the woods in the foothills of the sierra Nevada's in northern California. I still very clearly recall the towering pine trees, and the spreading branches of the Madrona trees, I loved watching my gardens bloom along with all of the wild flora, and I was always so surprised and excited by all of the animals I would see everyday. I knew when spring was coming when the robin redbreast's started flitting around, I also new it would probably mean more kittens soon too. I know these things because I grew up in nature, I learned to appreciate it and respect it. I now know that those things I learned then, that seem so trivial to some, are extremely important to our overall growth and development, that connection to nature is vital to our social-emotional and cognitive development, that connection to nature can also be used to further children's development in other areas as well, such as fine and gross motor skills, science and art, etc, etc.
I believe that when we teach children, we should place emphasis on nature and teach in nature whenever possible. Obviously it is not always practical to teach in a forest or even just outside in the school garden, this why I believe classrooms should be constructed and designed to better incorporate nature into the curriculum, decorating the classroom with various non-toxic ( as well as forgiving ) houseplants plants, such as common fresh herbs used for seasoning for the children to help take care of, also class pets where possible. I also believe that children should be encouraged to just go outside and watch, and to "journal" about what they see and hear, and then to share what they recorded in their journal with their class. Activities like this build on children's awareness of the world around them, it builds language skills through discussion after their journal time, teacher's can help provide or find names for new things that their students otherwise might not have a name for. We have a great many things to learn from nature, I believe starting early is of utmost importance.
I believe in respecting each individual child as well as their home and culture. I believe in promoting the connection between home and school, this connection is vital to not only the child, but to the family and to the teacher. When the connection between home and school is not strong and steady, their is increased stress for the child, the family, and the teacher, When there is increased stress, development for the child can become arrested, leading to certain potentials never being reached.
To promote the connection between the teacher, child, and home, I would plan a number of interactive events, such as nature hikes, or cultural exchange parties, inviting parents and other relatives to come and participate in these events. I would also be sure to encourage parents and relatives to volunteer in the classroom on a regular basis, thus creating not only child oriented learning, but family oriented learning. I feel that when parents and other family members are more actively involved in the classroom, that they are more involved with their child's education and development at home as well as more aware of the importance of that education and development in the home environment. In addition I would also be sure to maintain a monthly newsletter, detailing what we will primarily focus on, birthdays that month, fun family activities and resource events for the month, and also a brief summary of the month previous.
I would welcome each child and family, no matter how they differ, whether it be a difference in religion, or heritage, or special needs, be it a dietary restriction or a physical or developmental handicap, I would do my best to reasonably accommodate each individual child and family to best promote each child's growth. No one should ever feel ostracized because they are different.
My philosophy is a bit of a mixed bag, I take some of my curriculum cues from others, such as Reggio Amelia, the Forest schools, the Green school (Bali), and also from the Guba Farm Playschool (Swaziland), I recently discovered some of these approaches to teaching children and some of them I've known of previously, and I have found that they very much support my belief that children have the right and the need to be treated with respect, and that they be allowed to learn in a way that is natural to them, through play and discovery, and that nature and natural materials should be promoted not shunned, that community is essential, pooling resources to help everyone adult and child alike to meet the best possible outcome.
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