Articles

The children’s laugher was bellowing, contagious, and almost constant, and sometimes it bordered on uncontrollable. At one time I might have asked them to quiet down. However, once I decided to nurture children’s sense of humor, laughter was always a delightful and welcome sound in the classroom. Eventually I joined their scenario, bringing my plate and asking for an extra-rare piece of opossum with ketchup. Here are some ways to learn to let go of control and encourage laughter with…

“1-2-3 little red school house!” Maybe you can remember your preschool teacher using this technique to quiet down the classroom, while you and your classmates thought you were just playing a simple game. Perhaps you’ve employed similar tactics on your own kids!Read More: Rasmussen College

Think back to when you were a child. How often were you told “no”? It probably felt frustrating and discouraging. Think of the children in your classroom now. How often are they told “no”? Are they—and you—able to enjoy your day together if you have to say “no” all the time?Read More: Community Play Things 

You know you want to work with kids someday and you might even think that an early childhood education (ECE) career is in your future. And whether it’s something you’ve known for a while or it’s a new revelation, it’s exciting to know that you’re on your way to achieving your dream, right? But before you get too far ahead of yourself, there are a few things you need to decide first to make sure you’re on the right path.Read…

“There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.” – Loris Malaguzzi Imagine entering an early childhood classroom from a child’s perspective. The child is moving from the familiarity of her home into a totally different environment. Imagine the change in light and sound, all the different faces—it even smells different from the place where she woke up, in her own bed, just a few hours before. As an early childhood educator, you have so much power to…

You love being with children. You have thought about turning that love into a career, but you’re not sure if your passion is strong enough to make going back to school worth the time, effort and resources. Teaching preschool requires a combination of education, experience and certain intangible traits. While education and experience will come with time and hard work, you may already have some or all of the necessary traits to become a preschool teacher. We highlighted nine traits…

Parents and teachers often say “good job” as an automatic response to a child’s action.“You ate all of your peas. Good job!” “You did a good job putting away the toys.”A “good job” now and then is fine, but it doesn’t help children understand why what they did was good. Preschoolers need to know what they did, why it worked, or why it shows they are capable. Try the following suggestions to give preschoolers specific, detailed information that recognizes their…

Teacher reflection:  You remember being forced to do it at university and in your teacher certification programs.  You certainly take a moment or two daily, or innately throughout the day, to reflect upon your practice, make adjustments, and better prepare for the next day’s adventure.  But how often do you earnestly sit with focused reflection and clearly prioritize and synthesize your thoughts in writing?  Some of us have integrated it actively into our practice.  Yet many of us struggle to…

Your first teaching job is both exciting and scary. You will have some great days and some will be more challenging.  Just like children we learn from our experiences. There are so many tips for new teachers. Here are ours: 1. Be prepared and organized. This means having materials ready for whole group and small group activities as well as for centers. It also means being prepared for mishaps like spills, accidents, and runny noses. It means keeping sanitation and safety…

I'm tired of being treated like a glorified babysitter. I wish society respected us more. We have such an important job, so why does no one treat us as professionals? Those kinds of complaints made by teachers can be heard across the country and, I suspect, around the globe. We think of ourselves as professionals because we have taken the courses and extra training, as well as passed state and national tests required to gain a teaching certificate. Education is…