Always Learning

Even with 16 years of experience I am always learning new things... Sometimes it is from an article, a Facebook post, a parent, or even a child... I feel like we should always be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. My teaching style has definitely progressed over the years... I am constantly changing and I hope it is always in the children's best interest... That is always my number one priority. This quote caught my eye the other day:
“Who’s to say we have to sit down to learn? Why can’t we stand to learn? Why can’t we lay on the floor on our tummies to learn? Why can’t we sit in the rocking chair to learn? There are lots of other simple movement strategies. Just changing the position can make a big difference.” it was from this article https://www.raepica.com/2019/10/crisscross-applesauce-2/?fbclid=IwAR0KjPGAPO1EwCekrZ9qBToIqtj0WZhSi3aDQdlbfgtWkh20in0Wv4bLjhk
Why? Why do I try to make the kids sit during circle time? I don't make the 2 year olds, but who's to say the magic number to be able to sit and listen is 3?? My thought was always my job is to prepare them for Kindergarten they have to sit and listen, but you know what?? They are not kindergarteners... they are preschoolers. And most of my 5 year olds easily sit the whole circle time. So, just this week I changed things up. As an early childhood educator you have to constantly change your way of thinking. What works this year might not work next... heck what works this week might not work next!
After meals we go sit on the mat until everyone is finished and then move on to our next activity. The quick eaters this could be up to 15 minutes... no wonder we were constantly saying sit back down, stay on the mat, etc... why? Why are we doing that? Now they have options and they love it!! You can stay at the table and visit with your friends, you can put your chair away and go to the mat or you can run!! Guess what most of them have been doing? Yep... running! They run, sit, run again, and they love it and so do we!! During circle time we have also added options... you may sit on the leaves in the middle or you can chose the sides of the rug to lay or stand and the back is for chairs or cushions, and you don't have to stick with your first choice as long as you aren't stomping on your friends or stealing chairs to change your spot.