Observing Communication

There is this little at my school that is in his first year of preschool. He is somewhat of a trouble maker and his preschool teacher doesn’t know how to handle him. So just about every day he is being sent out of the classroom. One of my colleagues though has learned how to calm him down and get him to do as his teacher ask of him. I have noticed that Ms. Shockey doesn’t get mad at Michael; she tries to do more comforting. Ms. Shockey always starts the conversation by asking him what the problem was and asks him how he handled it. She then proceeds to tell him that if he wants to attend school like his big brother, that he is going to have to learn how to listen to his teacher. My favorite thing to do when Ms. Shockey is having these conversations with Michael are how calm and quiet. She never threatens him or seem to make him feel embarrassed. She just talks to him, which seems to reach him better, then when his teacher constantly yells at him.

I think the communication between Ms. Shockey and Michael is very effective. It is almost like he knows that she is there to help him and not get him into further trouble. She has opened up her arms and ears to him and told him at anytime he needs a hug or just to talk to come and find her.

Just from the way Michael acts when he sees or converses with Ms. Shockey, I know that she has made a positive influence on him. I think even though Michael’s teacher doesn’t show a caring side with him, he knows that Ms. Shockey does. She may have even provided a strong beginning in his career in school. It seems as though he now knows that not every teacher is mean and shows affection. He knows that there are nice, friendly and affectionate teachers in the building.  

The interaction that I see constantly between Ms. Shockey and Michael remind me that some children may need more than just education when they walk through your doors. They may also need extra special attention which could consist of hugs, smiles and maybe even hand holding.  I take the observation from these two and keep it fresh on my “useful information” list I have.

This week I have learned that my passion for early childhood truly is more than the lesson plans. I know this because seeing a child scarf down 2 bananas and 2 milks because they didn’t receive dinner the night before really makes me sad and strive to help these kind of children in any way possible. Even if helping children mean coming out of my personal pocket to provide a “snack closet” in my classroom. I want to be able to positively affect every child I encounter in some way of fashion. I will listen to children not only with my ears, but with my heart as well. I will do everything in my power to be a positive outlet for the many different students I will come across.

Creating Affirming Environments

    In my own Family Child Care Home, I would be mindful of the type of things I want the children to learn and how they learn everything. I would do a theme such as a jungle theme where monkeys, snakes and such would be everywhere to promote a different type of thinking or environment where learning may take place. I would like for there to be tables which have crayon boxes of all colors on them so that each child can choose what color they prefer. In the center of the room would be the desk or most commonly used learning positions. I would also have a carpet which would allow children to join together to have meetings and conversations.

    The walls would be full of inspirational posters and helpful reminders, and there would be posters that contained daily helpful hints. Those posters would include the multiplication tables, or the Pronoun chart, and comprehension tools. I would make sure to provide a location for a library. Where I would include books of all genres with many different cultures represented.

    I would be sure to provide a curriculum that has themes of self-discovery, family and community (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).  I want the children to draw pictures of themselves and what they want to be and of what their family at home look like and to explain them. I would also like for them to draw their favorite place to go outside and what are some things they would find there. I would be sure to explain to the class as a whole that a family can look like anything not just a mommy and daddy and such. I want to make sure every child is comfortable with expressing themselves.

    I have created my environment by reading through the suggestions of the reading materials and realizing that even your classroom presentation can show your biases. I have an idea of what I would want my classroom to look like from the colleagues I work with it. Some of my colleagues’ classrooms are not very inviting with not much on the walls and then there are those that just seem so warming and welcoming. That is the kind of classroom I want to have.

 

Reference:

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