- Susan Bredekamp
"Special
Olympics athletes are spokespersons for freedom itself - they ask for the
freedom to live, the freedom to belong, the freedom to contribute, the freedom
to have a chance. And, of all the values that unite and inspire us to seek a
better world, no value holds a higher place than the value of freedom."
-Eunice Kennedy Shriver
“It’s not all about you, you have to think what’s best for this child.”
- Renatta M. Cooper
"I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess."
-Whitney Houston
Hi Terry,
ReplyDeleteI also like this quote you mentioned by Susan Bredecamp who was also a presenter for the Walden early childhood bachelor's classes:
“Child-initiated activity is all that’s important and that teacher-directed instruction or any form of teacher-directed activity is not appropriate.”
If we as teachers of very young children could just respond to children's interests while we are watching them by saying, "What you are doing reminds me of something," and then build on what the children are doing, the children will become life long learners.
We should also know when to sit back and allow children to think and problem solve.
Terry, I also liked the quote you posted from Susan Bredekamp:
ReplyDelete“child-initiated activity is all that’s important and that teacher-directed instruction or any form of teacher-directed activity is not appropriate.”
To me this reminded me of the Montessori model of education. The Montessori schools are all about independence and more child directed learning rather than all teacher directed. Teachers are to build and question what the students are doing and that is their way of learning and developing.
I knew someone who attended a Montessori school and when they were placed into a public school fos kindergarten the child had a hard time adjusting because they were so use to doing what they wanted when they wanted and in public school you have rules to follow.
For me, I like to think my classroom is a balance between both. My school follows the I Do, We Do, They Do model by week. Within each day though my students spend more time in centers than they do in whole group teacher directed instruction. My students seem to enjoy centers more anyway so for us that works.
I have a lot of experience with Montessori schools. Four of my children attended Montessori, and I was a Montessori teacher for a summer. My younger children got to come with me. I have never seen a better model or a calmer class than in a Montessori classroom. When I did observations for my bachelor's degree, I was always disappointed with the amount of time for centers. Montessori activities are also created for the child to learn even without adult guidance.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that if children are well taught they will be empowered to lead the way. I remember me and my younger sisters playfully dancing to Whitney's songs. As I grew older and moved into the field of education the words of the song 'I believe the children are our future' took on a new meaning. I thought of how important it is to help children develop a sense of self and developing leadership skills so they would walk in their own light and not be comfortable staying in the shadows of another.
ReplyDelete