Our Path in Life
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There are two questions to consider when examining a challenge in life. How we answer each question determines our path forward.
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Professional Goal Setting in Early Childhood Education
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Professional goals focus on growth. When we set professional goals, we move forward in who we want to be as early childhood educators.
Read MorePersonal Play Stories Guide Our Practice
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Our childhood play stories have a connection to the work we do as educators. In our Rights of the Child Workshop we ask participants to share their play stories. What did we learn about this practice? How does this practice enhance our work as educators?
Read MoreThe One Thing
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Our skill in work is defined by our degree of understanding, how we take a certain knowledge base and craft ideas or solutions that match the situation we are in. The key is collecting continuing knowledge in our field and then applying that knowledge as necessary to move forward.
Read MoreObserving Joy
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A gentle snow starts falling from the sky. Two children are inspired by the moment and begin to play. What are the elements that make up a play experience? What can we learn as an educator about the joy that comes from immersing ourselves in the moment?
Read MoreBeing Thankful
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Holidays are a time of celebration and gathering with friends and family, it is also time to be thankful and reflect on our other family, the learning community.
Read MoreExploring Rope
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I was visiting the schools of La Casa Amarilla, I observed many of the classrooms and collected some learning stories. The following is a story about rope and the opportunity to investigate.
Read MoreIs It Educational?
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When children are engaged in activities there is often a concern or a conversation among adults if the activity is educational. What does the term educational actually mean?
Read MoreToothpicks and String
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Often we document the success stories in our work with children. Some of the work we do is not as successful. Usually this occurs when we move away from the principals that inform our practice for the sake of convenience.
Read MoreCurating Mindful Inquiry: Part Three
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When we enter into learning as co-learners, we construct our practices together. Our dialogue with all members of the learning community involves diverse perspectives that help to shape our ideas of children.
Read MoreCurating Mindful Inquiry: Part Two
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When we adopt the stance as co-learners, we acknowledge our responsibilities to scaffold and support the specific ideas and theories that children bring forward into our classroom, programs, and our lives.
Read MoreCurating Mindful Inquiry: Part One
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As humans, we are all invested in discovering our world. The practices of discovery allow us to test ideas of what might be happening, to draw conclusion, and to create a construct that explains and categorizes as a ‘truth’ from our discovery.
Read MoreLearning Together
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Learning together is the work that we do as educators, to hold space for children as they construct knowledge in their own way, at their own pace. Learning together is shaped by the image of the child you hold.
Read MoreBecause of Jack
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The search for meaning, our motivations and our actions is always connected to “The Why”. The “What” we do is easy to define, but “The Why” we do our work is where we find our true purpose, Jack represents “The Why” for me. Who is Jack?
Read MoreAll Children Play
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Recently, I was riding home and I noticed a large group of children playing at the end of the street. The sight of many children out in the middle of the day playing, with no adults around, was wonderful. The children were loud and busy having fun riding their bikes, running around and drawing with sidewalk chalk all over the street.
Read MoreOur Words, Thoughts and Actions
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As an educator, we experience one of the greatest opportunities in life. We have the opportunity to be in the lives of children and influence their daily lives. We can represent a light in their life or a hindrance to their growth. It is a choice available to us everyday.
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