This post is a throw-back of mine from July 2009.
Minnesota throws away over 1 million tons of recyclable material each year! Taking care of our earth is our responsibility. What can YOU do to help?I had the opportunity to attend Read More
Whether it’s news accounts of natural disasters or terrorism, sexually loaded images on TV or marital conflict in our own homes, many things in our children’s daily lives compel us to have uncomfortable or difficult conversations. What can children manage or comprehend at different ages? What words should we use – and what tone should we strive for – when children ask questions that make us squirm? How do we help children feel safe and secure while still being honest about the hard things that can and do happen in the real world? Psychologist Kate Rickord from St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development joins Marti & Erin for a thoughtful conversation about addressing tough topics and having difficult conversations with your children, whatever their ages. >>TUNE IN HERE<<
What topics do you find most uncomfortable to discuss with your children? What did you find helpful in this Mom Enough discussion?
For 4 Tips on How to Talk with Your Child about Difficult Topics, click here.
For St. David’s Center, click here.
For St. David’s Center’s Mental Health Services, click here.
This post was created by Mom Enough and used with permission.
It’s common for children (and adults, for that matter) to worry about the dangers of tornadoes, blizzards and other major weather events. And, worried or not, we and our children may wonder about the meaning of different kinds of clouds or how a hail storm happens on a hot summer day. Belinda Jensen turned her own childhood curiosity into a career as a popular meteorologist on KARE-TV (NBC). Now she has written a 6-book children’s series that is sure to fuel fascination with the weather and, as she discusses with Marti & Erin, also help more girls and boys discover the excitement of learning about science. >>TUNE IN HERE<<
What questions or concerns do your children have about the weather? What helpful ideas did you get from this Mom Enough show with Belinda Jensen for addressing children’s worries and promoting their curiosity and learning?
To learn more about Belinda’s books, click here.
For Bel the Weather Girl experiments you can try at home, click here.
This post was created by Mom Enough and used with permission.
Shelly Sanchez Terrell with Tyson Seburn
Virtually every teacher will encounter burnout at some time in his or her career. In this episode, we look at the signs and offer a challenge to help you avoid going over the edge.
Follow:@ShellTerrell, @seburnt @bamradionetwork
This post was created by Bam! Radio and used with permission
The spring months always seem to be jam-packed. Perhaps you missed out on my spring book study for that very reason. It was focused on Stacie Goffin’s book Professionalizing Early Childhood Education as a Field of Practice: A Guide to the Next Era. “The conversations from this book are intended to shape the field’s future. Don’t sit back and listen; be part of this important conversation.” Here’s your second chance opportunity!
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How are we going to think together in conversations with intent and unite as a field of practice, when we are spread across the nation engaged in varied areas of the workforce? I thought about this very question for nearly two years after I met Stacie. Beyond The Pages (BTP) was launched in August, 2015, as a vehicle to promote conversations with intent and inspire a passion for change. BTP is an innovative online book study. This online feature takes you ‘beyond the pages’ and creates group dialogue. What makes it unique? The group dialogue is prompted and informed by content experts who bring their voices to each week’s discussion.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Lilian Katz to discuss her thoughts on our profession’s future. She said that “we need to come to an agreement on the body of principles…to sit down and agree on principles of practice for early childhood educators.” I told her about BTP and waited for her response. “I’d say the blog book study is worth trying…to develop more insight and interaction between practitioners. You see, when practitioners come together and exchange information, they deepen their insight, understanding, and awareness of complexities in the field.” I whole-heartedly agree Dr. Katz!
Together, we can help ECE realize its potential! It is with that in mind that I invite YOU to participate in my Beyond The Pages blog book study. Since the live study is over, you can complete it at your own pace, in the comfort of your home! Visit the following link to learn more about this fantastic way to get involved. http://goo.gl/m3u5qo
This is an approved course through the MN Center for Professional Development! This course applies towards the Core Competency Area of VIII. Professional Development and the CDA Content Area of Maintaining Professionalism.
It is my genuine hope that this book study feature intrigues individuals, serves as inexpensive professional development, provides access to resources otherwise not attainable, and encourages meaningful conversations. Learn. Love. Lead.
Click HERE to get started!
Rae Pica with Barbara Kaiser & Amanda Morgan
Join us as we explore the apparent increase in challenging student behaviors. Is the rise real or imagined? What is the most current thinking on handling troubling student behavior?
Follow: @bamradionetwork @raepica1 @notjustcute
#edchat #edreform #ece #earlyed #AskingWhatIf
This post was created by Bam! Radio and used with permission
Studies have shown that parents are likely either to warn their daughters away from challenging physical activities or to help them so much that they don’t accomplish the task on their own. With sons, however, parents are more likely to “be brave” and to guide them in how to complete the task on their own. Caroline Paul believes we too often undermine girls’ competence and self-esteem and deprive them of exhilarating adventures. So she’s written a unique guidebook for girls (and women!) that is packed with stories of her own adventures and those of other daring women, practical tips on changing a tire or climbing a mountain, entertaining illustrations by Wendy McNaughton and space for the reader to journal about her own escapades. She brings her ideas to life in this enthusiastic conversation with Marti, who describes a few adventures of her own! >>TUNE IN HERE<<
What messages did you get as a girl about taking on challenging or somewhat risky activities? To what extent are your messages to your daughter the same or different? Would you like to encourage your daughter to be more adventurous? And would you like to have some lively adventures yourself? How could you begin?
For Caroline’s New York Times article, click here.
For the official website for The Gutsy Girl, click here.
This post was created by Mom Enough and used with permission.
By Susan Zoll
Welcome to the final week of study and conversation on Professionalizing Early Childhood Education as a Field of Practice: A Guide to the Next Era by Stacie G. Goffin. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn from each of you over the past eight weeks and I look forward to future opportunities Dawn will create, providing intentional space for our beloved early childhood community.
From your responses it’s clear you own your professional responsibilities towards children, their families, and your colleagues. So many of you serve in multiple roles: educators, mentors, coaches, administrators, instructors in higher education – in addition to nurturing your own families!
Professionalism in early childhood education exists and you’ve given voice to current issues and policies that impact your work: compensation, credentials, organizational climate, standards, a “disparity crisis” in learning opportunities for children…and the list goes on.
Take a few moments and look through the comments and the wealth of shared information provided by members of this virtual community. Which topic resonates for you, feels personal, stirs up something you can stand behind? If after this book study your goal is to be an active policy agent, rather than a passive policy target (Heineke 2015) you’ll need just one topic to begin your intentional conversation in a way that feels authentic and comfortable to you.
Last week, Betsy Carlin highlighted key aspects of an intentional dialogue focusing on the role of the “facilitator.” Chapter 4 also reminds us, we must consider the environment where our conversations will take place. As early childhood educators, this is imagery we understand. Just as we ready our classroom environments to meet the needs of children each day, we must think about the welcoming and respectful settings we create to begin our early childhood dialogues.
If your objective is to invite others into your classroom or school to host an intentional conversation regarding early childhood education, does your environment make visible your belief about the importance of young children? Stacy suggests, “pictures of children propped on easels or taped to a wall remind us that these conversations are about something larger than our individual roles or ambitions” (p. 66). Or perhaps you prefer more personal settings and plan to begin an intentional conversation when you’re visiting a family in their home. Ultimately, your goal is to be inclusive; and whether hosting a group or only one other individual, we must come together to exchange in a spirit of mutual learning and exploration.
Earlier this month, NAEYC created such an inclusive environment for early childhood educators. The 2016 Public Policy Forum in Washington, DC provided participants with the opportunity to expand their understanding of federal policy and it’s impact locally. Truthfully, this was a new area for me and I felt a bit out of my comfort zone. But NAEYC had created a safe environment for it’s AEYC affiliates and we had the opportunity to meet our local delegates (R.I. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse).
Challenging, but productive conversations were had and I believe our field moved a little bit forward on the professional continuum – I know I did! Professionalism at the individual-level always falls along a continuum, with no visible endpoint. So, maybe it stands to reason that professionalism for the early childhood field is also about continuous improvement, always moving forward together.
So how will you help to move the field forward? Remember, to begin you need just one topic that you’re passionate about. For this week’s response, please share your topic and your plans for initiating the dialogue. Will you invite a small group or will you speak to a co-worker or a family member? And how will you prepare the setting for this conversation? How will you ensure a trusting and welcoming environment?
I’ll continue to monitor your responses and look forward to our collective conversation.
P.S. If you’d like to research additional early childhood policy topics, NAEYC provides relevant policy and action resources you can review.
Reference:
Heineke, A.J., Ryan, A.M., Tocci, C. (2015). Teaching, learning, and leading: Preparing teachers as educational policy actors. Journal of Teacher Education, v 66(4), 382-394.
–Susan Zoll, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education
Director, Institute for Early Childhood Teaching and Learning
Rhode Island College
Email: szoll@ric.edu
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*New here? You can find all the book study details HERE. Happy reading!
Book Study Timeline!
(click on chapter or name below to access that content)
This book study is sponsored by Redleaf Press
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HELPING CHILDREN THRIVE DURING AND AFTER DIVORCE: A CONVERSATION WITH DR. JORDAN HART ABOUT CHILDREN AND DIVORCE
When parents divorce, children typically experience a wide range of feelings, including loss, sadness, fear, anger and anxiety. These feelings come out in different ways, depending on age, personality and circumstances. But there are many things parents and other caring adults can do to help children cope and even thrive beyond this challenging time. Child psychologist Dr. Jordan Hart joins Marti & Erin for a rich discussion of children and divorce, a topic that affects so many children and families. >>TUNE IN HERE<<
What have you experienced or observed about children and divorce in your family or circle of friends? What were some of the most important points in this Mom Enough discussion and how do those match your own experience or observations of children and divorce?
To learn more about the Bridging Parental Conflict® class, click here.
To learn more about the Managing in the Middle class for children, click here.
This post was created by Mom Enough and used with permission.
