At the new year I chose the word, “freedom”. I hired a coach for 3 months to help me along this path. At the same time, I chose to be free of the Wonder Teacher Certification that I did not complete in round #1. I did complete my journals and turned the ones I submitted into the blog posts you’ve been following here!

Now I am turning to “crushing it”! My 3 goals for round #2 in the Wonder Teacher Certification are to:

1. Conquer my fear of speaking up, to free my passion from my holding back.
   1. Continue my blog weekly, now using my photo journal
   1. Take family communication and conversation to a new level

• To re-open my nature inspired school with a “back to the future” emphasis, meaning re-introducing cooking, woodworking and really digging into child led learning! We caved along the way to different pressures that now we will overcome. I have made too many excuses the last 5.5 years of not being physically present. The CoVid 19 virus helped to connect myself and our Director in a concrete way that never happened when we had the everyday pressures of work in different cities to contend with.
  • Conquer my fear of speaking up and not opening up the center as soon as allowable (see #1)
  • Engage the whole team in prepping, planning, building and facilitating learning when the children return in August
• Gain knowledge to work on goals 1 and 2.
  • I will read some of the books you have recommended, and I promptly put on a “to read” list for someday.
    • Start/join a book study group

I believe these goals intertwine and I am working on breaking them down to even more manageable pieces.

Thank you all for being on this journey with me!

Mealtime Reflections

What does a toddler mealtime look like?

Toddlers can and should be a part of mealtime set up. Many teachers want/need to control everything which halts the child’s learning opportunities.

Some ideas and mealtime truths.

Children can help to wash the table before mealtime. They can put chairs around the table and “set” the table before the meal. Allow them to get into their chairs and sit.

One teacher should sing and do a finger play while the other serves the food. Mealtime should be quiet but not silent. Children should choose what they want to eat. Teachers should allow the children to choose their own food. Young children can do things themselves, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be spills. Young children need to be able to make mistakes as they improve their skills.

Teachers need to sit with the children as they are eating and children should clean up after the meal is over.

What do you think children are capable of at mealtime?

Have you ever asked for help? Did you feel weak or strong when doing this?

I recently hired a professional/personal coach to try to get back on track with where I want to be at this stage of life. I want to be clear in my intention and path forward.

This opportunity came to me through my husband’s work connections and I reluctantly signed up. I felt weak, unmotivated and incomplete.

I spent some time reaching out to friends I have moved away from to reconnect to my journey and practice. Our power is in relationship. This is important to me as I work with colleagues, families and children to better our own lives and outcomes.  

I realize how much sits with me. I have been toying with the idea of a teacher action research project surrounding our daily attitudes. The focus is making sure that we are in control of our outlook for the day.  

Things one might include in my project: treats, little gifts, trying different lighting, music, notes of affirmation, my own attitude adjustment, putting the emphasis on myself as a mentor, coach, facilitator, not worrying if I cannot change someone else’s outlook, I can change my own. 

Have you ever asked for help? Did you feel weak or strong when doing this?

True Play 

Play is freely chosen, intrinsically motivated,  and personally directed. 

How do we facilitate play as described above? 

As early childhood educators we observe, observe, and observe. We do not interrupt play. After observing we add and subtract materials. This action is based on our best guess. To facilitate learning through play, an educator cannot interfere and suggest how to use materials. 

Allow children to choose what they will do with the materials. When we set up invitations and provocations, an educator must watch and stay silent. We must not suggest what children might do with the materials.

We model the use of materials in our own play. All educators must spend some time observing this. We do this to see if this practice fits the above definition of play. 

Guiding play that is freely chosen by the children is accomplished by setting out materials in the environment. Then stand back and observe. Allowing the children to interact with the materials as they wish. Children may use materials in a way that might seem “inappropriate” to the educator. The educator should re-assess the appropriateness with a wonder filled vision. 

Play should be the only vehicle for learning in early childhood settings!

Will you play today?

Who I am as an educator?

I get so busy, being busy I forget who I am. I thought today I would sit down and spell it out.

Here’s who I am in Early Childhood Education: 

• I love what I do and I know for sure I should be leading and teaching in Early Childhood
• Learning more is important to me and I must schedule my time to include studying
• I want to see a consistent change in teaching style to play based child led and am committed to work with staff to that end 
• My Wonder Teacher Certification is important to me and need I to commit to do so 
• I have a great place as is, however it can be always be better 
• There are people better, smarter, more together than I and this does not diminish me, I am enough and we’re all in this together, it is not a competition 
• That said, I get, I am competitive and want to win, complete, and challenge others 
• While I am just one person, I am also a member of a larger community 
• I have let my local colleagues go after I moved and need to reinvent myself or reconnect whichever feels better 
• We are all a work in process
• The wonder I see daily in the children keep me going
• I am a passionate committed early childhood educator

Thankful, grateful and present. 

The more I am tuning into the children instead of focusing on everything that is “not working ”, the more I “see” the direction I am taking. 

The more I take time to be present and see “Wonders”, the more I get it! 

I am so busy “doing” that I forget “being”. I don’t know when I will finish Wonder Teacher Certification however I am digging into the process and letting go of “have too”. I don’t have to finish by a certain date to be present to the children.

Will continuing to work with the Wonder Teacher Certification improve my practice and support my journey………………..yes! So, I will keep on plugging along, learning at my pace, absorbing and processing the way I need to. This is a statement I can associate to the way children are learning around me. 

Children learn. We cannot rush them, force them, or make them learn on schedule. We can support them through the process. I can appreciate this for my little’s now that I can appreciate it for me!! The process is the process. Do not forget.

Building a nest. 

I watched a group of children find materials in the yard and build a nest. They excitedly gathered straw, pine needles and twigs. What experience did they have with nests and nest building?

No one told them what to do, there was no right or wrong. No one knew how to build a nest., yet, I witnessed discovery, problem solving, cooperation and working together. Because the children defined roles they built trust and relationships. I saw evaluation, re-evaluation and celebration of accomplishment. 

I learned from watching the process by just watching and being present to their process!! 

Sadly, we as adults don’t often act in the respectful manner that these children did. They demonstrated a fluid thoughtful inclusive process.  

Thankful, grateful for the lessons from a little girl in a big truck. 

I watched in wonder as this little child tried different positions in this truck. She created a space for herself to settle into. I watched and took this lesson in, as well as many others:  slow down, relax, appreciate your surroundings, stop worrying about things (like Wonder Teacher Training!!) Keep working at your own pace.  

Enjoy the ride. You belong! 

Thank you for the lessons little one! 

Looking for small wonders in a hectic chaotic existence. 

Meeting after meeting to try to strategize a new business plan for success. What can we do when we cannot find quality help?  

The beating of the same old drum, the same old message! Time to change tactics. I have been around long enough to see the cycles of business. Ready to change it up. How do I engage others to join me? 

My Wonder Teacher training has helped to move me to a position that quality is possible and that it can happen in places that are not physically beautiful but they need people to make it happen. 

I am fortunate to have a beautiful setting. Working to physically alter the environment with new paint and a gradual removal of things that were brought in during my 5-year absence. The process is slow. Building relationships is hard. Re-defining who I am and what I want professionally for children. 

Thankful to the Wonder Teacher Certification team, coaching and training. I have learned so much with more to learn.