I have been taking alot of interest in the way Free to Be disciplines children. Particularly one child I have been paying close attention to. We will call her Lisa. Lisa is a very impulsive child who seems to have some sort of confontation evry time I am at Free To Be. She tends to get angry about something and act violently.
An example is the other day Lisa was trying to play with two other little girls. The other girls did not want to play with Lisa at that time, they were involved in their own pretend game and wanted it to be just the two of them. Lisa followed them around for ten minutes trying to play, when the little girls ran from Lisa to get away , Lisa grabbed the one little girl and punched her.
A teacher immediatly ran over and took Lisa by the hand. Lisa than tried getting away from the teacher by dragging her feet and yelling. Once inside with all three girls sat at the "peace table". This is where the teachers sits down and asks each child what happened. Of course each child has a different perspective of the situation, which I find fascinating. After the problem is solved the one at fault is warned that if something happens again he/she will have to come inside.
I like how Free To Be trys to let the children solve their own problems at the peace table. I think it is imprtant to let the children work tiffs out between eachother with the assistance of an adult.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Cleaning
Another one of my jobs at Free To Be sometimes is cleaning. It is a very clean daycare center. The staff cleans after snack- floors, dishes. After Lunch- bathroom, dishes. And at the end of the day- floors, bathroom, carpets, toys. I have had the joy of sweeping floors and doing dishes. You wouldn't believe the amount of dirt these children bring in after their first outside time. Especially when it rains!!! When we had that snowfall back in February the children played outside in it. The only problem was there was only two inches. So the kids were really just rolling around in the mud! Getting kids out of their boots and snow pants was not fun that day. Than the floor clean up was a disaster. Thats the day i learned to not wear very nice clothes to Free To Be!
Work
So while at free to be I have had different types of jobs. Here is one job that I have normally everytime i am there.
I have been on coat duty. This sounds like an unimportant job, but i feel it is very important! Everyday the children at Free To Be have outside play. You may be thinking that this is typical of a daycare center, BUT thie difference is the amount of time spent. Free To Be believes that unstructured outside play is a very important part of childrens learning. Not only are they running around getting exercise, but they are exploring nature and solving problems. Free To Be had no less than two hours of outside play everyday. One hour in the morning and one in the afternoon. This is no matter if it is snowing or freezing or just about to rain. ( which isn't always pleasant for the teachers!) They even do rain walks outside wearing ponchos! So now you can understand that coat duty is very important. I help than put them on if they need it, but mostly i just zip and button them up. i also make sure they are wearing hats and gloves if need be. Free To Be had a collection of hats and gloves for students who forgot to bring theirs in.
It is an important part of working at Free To Be that teachers must let the children "TRY" to be independent. Of course sometimes an adult can do something (like put a childs coat on) three times faster. But it is very importnat that these children learn to do these simple tasks on their own so they can become more independent.
At first that was difficult for me. I am used to just dressing my niece and doing it fast. Sometimes adults are too rushed, they don't think about the benefits of letting children slowly figure things out on their own. Not to mention the kids really get a self esteem boost when they accomplish something on their own!
I have been on coat duty. This sounds like an unimportant job, but i feel it is very important! Everyday the children at Free To Be have outside play. You may be thinking that this is typical of a daycare center, BUT thie difference is the amount of time spent. Free To Be believes that unstructured outside play is a very important part of childrens learning. Not only are they running around getting exercise, but they are exploring nature and solving problems. Free To Be had no less than two hours of outside play everyday. One hour in the morning and one in the afternoon. This is no matter if it is snowing or freezing or just about to rain. ( which isn't always pleasant for the teachers!) They even do rain walks outside wearing ponchos! So now you can understand that coat duty is very important. I help than put them on if they need it, but mostly i just zip and button them up. i also make sure they are wearing hats and gloves if need be. Free To Be had a collection of hats and gloves for students who forgot to bring theirs in.
It is an important part of working at Free To Be that teachers must let the children "TRY" to be independent. Of course sometimes an adult can do something (like put a childs coat on) three times faster. But it is very importnat that these children learn to do these simple tasks on their own so they can become more independent.
At first that was difficult for me. I am used to just dressing my niece and doing it fast. Sometimes adults are too rushed, they don't think about the benefits of letting children slowly figure things out on their own. Not to mention the kids really get a self esteem boost when they accomplish something on their own!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Free to Be's peeps
Ok so here are some of the people I have been working with and their different jobs....
Barbara- she is the director and the head teacher. She helped start Free to Be.
Pat- I have met a couple times. She seems to mostly just handle the administrative stuff. i would like to sit with her one day and learn more about her job. Although it does not interest me as much as the hands on stuff with the children.
Sharon- is the other head teacher. She has been with Free to be for fifteen years. She has been very helpful in showing me how "Free to be" does their student evaluations. Each student has a sort of portfolio . The portfolio includes samples of their work along with reports of goals they have acomlished throughout the semester. These are done twice a year. The portfolios are especially nice for the children to take with them when interviewing for kindergarten.
Stacy- She is kind of like the head aide. She seems to take more of a leadership role with the other aides. I believe she is currently the aide with the most experience. Alot of the children really cling to her.She is a student at Stockton and in the teaching program.
Brielle- She has been at free to be since Sep "05" . She is a teacher's aide. She is also going to Stockton for Elementary Education.
Kim- Started in Sep "06". She is a hospitality major. But she really enjoys working with children. She seems to look to Stacy and Brielle for advice working with the children.
Katie- just started in Sep "07". She also wnats to do Elementary Education. She is working at Free to be to get more experience working with children.
Jessica- Started in Jan "07". She is also going into the teaching program. She really enjoys working with children, she works in a summer camp in the summer. She has a little following at Free to Be, about five students. They fight over who can sit next to her and things like that.
Brandon- He is the only other cetified teacher. we have met several times but he doesn't really work any early hours. Mostly late afternoon to close. The children call him "Big Brandon". they really seem to enjoy having a male mixed in with all of the women. I think thats very important.
Barbara- she is the director and the head teacher. She helped start Free to Be.
Pat- I have met a couple times. She seems to mostly just handle the administrative stuff. i would like to sit with her one day and learn more about her job. Although it does not interest me as much as the hands on stuff with the children.
Sharon- is the other head teacher. She has been with Free to be for fifteen years. She has been very helpful in showing me how "Free to be" does their student evaluations. Each student has a sort of portfolio . The portfolio includes samples of their work along with reports of goals they have acomlished throughout the semester. These are done twice a year. The portfolios are especially nice for the children to take with them when interviewing for kindergarten.
Stacy- She is kind of like the head aide. She seems to take more of a leadership role with the other aides. I believe she is currently the aide with the most experience. Alot of the children really cling to her.She is a student at Stockton and in the teaching program.
Brielle- She has been at free to be since Sep "05" . She is a teacher's aide. She is also going to Stockton for Elementary Education.
Kim- Started in Sep "06". She is a hospitality major. But she really enjoys working with children. She seems to look to Stacy and Brielle for advice working with the children.
Katie- just started in Sep "07". She also wnats to do Elementary Education. She is working at Free to be to get more experience working with children.
Jessica- Started in Jan "07". She is also going into the teaching program. She really enjoys working with children, she works in a summer camp in the summer. She has a little following at Free to Be, about five students. They fight over who can sit next to her and things like that.
Brandon- He is the only other cetified teacher. we have met several times but he doesn't really work any early hours. Mostly late afternoon to close. The children call him "Big Brandon". they really seem to enjoy having a male mixed in with all of the women. I think thats very important.
Sorry!
Sorry guys that my postings haven't been up. Long story short i had to move unexpectedly and didn't have a computer anymore. I should have used the Librarys computers at school but never really did that before- always a spoiled commuter. Anyway i have kept track of my progress at "Free to Be", so i am going to try to update it all onto computer. I have really been enjoying my time at Free to be, I am learning alot about the different ways children learn. This is making me once again want to sign up for Stocktons teaching program, jst when i thought I was done school for awhile....
Mission Statement at "Free to Be"
Philosophy & Curriculum
Free To Be takes a holistic, life-oriented approach to educating and caring for the young children at the Center. As we are learning from educators in Reggio Emilia, our approach to teaching and learning is based on the belief that all children are “rich, powerful, and competent.” Emphasis is placed on the child, not impersonal subject matter. The way a child sees oneself and feels about oneself influences the ability to learn. Likewise, a child’s cognitive achievements increase self-worth. Learning through play and actual experience is essential to the curriculum. Efforts are made to foster the child’s own self-discovery. Through interaction and play, they develop the sophisticated intellectual skills, thoughtfulness and self-confidence to become adults who understand how to take charge of their lives. A balance is provided between the child making choices and the teachers directing. Both approaches are viewed as being valuable. Choice fosters independence and helps the child become responsible for his/her own choices. Providing choice is also an excellent way to individualize the curriculum. On the other hand, teacher-directed activities are necessary because all activities are not attractive enough for children to choose them spontaneously. A strong emphasis is put on helping children acquire skills that will help them deal with many situations, rather than merely learn the facts or content.
Free To Be takes a holistic, life-oriented approach to educating and caring for the young children at the Center. As we are learning from educators in Reggio Emilia, our approach to teaching and learning is based on the belief that all children are “rich, powerful, and competent.” Emphasis is placed on the child, not impersonal subject matter. The way a child sees oneself and feels about oneself influences the ability to learn. Likewise, a child’s cognitive achievements increase self-worth. Learning through play and actual experience is essential to the curriculum. Efforts are made to foster the child’s own self-discovery. Through interaction and play, they develop the sophisticated intellectual skills, thoughtfulness and self-confidence to become adults who understand how to take charge of their lives. A balance is provided between the child making choices and the teachers directing. Both approaches are viewed as being valuable. Choice fosters independence and helps the child become responsible for his/her own choices. Providing choice is also an excellent way to individualize the curriculum. On the other hand, teacher-directed activities are necessary because all activities are not attractive enough for children to choose them spontaneously. A strong emphasis is put on helping children acquire skills that will help them deal with many situations, rather than merely learn the facts or content.
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