Observing Communication

This past week, I observed my husband read to our daughter (age 3yrs) and reinforce her number recognition. This account stood out to me, because I was in the process of completing an assignment for the class as my daughter made multiple attempts to "play school" with me. I tried, but failed to remain attentive to her efforts. She finally threw in the towel on me and moved on to her dad.

I had to pause as I noticed how gentle and sensitive he was with her. He provided a safe play-learning space. His tone was perfect; soft yet firm. He listened carefully as she talked, repeating information as necessary which showed he was actively listening to her. The book that they read was based on items found in New York. The book allowed her to count objects in the case that she did not recognize a particular number. When she struggled, he did not get upset with her. He was very patient from beginning to end. When she got mixed up or irritated he reassured her that she could do it and encouraged her to take her time. Through his effective communication, he kept her engaged throughout the book which provided a successful learning experience which on the other hand can be a bit stressful for her and me.

As I observed my daughter’s body language, I could see that she felt secure and she lay nestled in her father’s arms. She felt confident and accomplished as she correctly identified the numbers.

This week I have noticed that I seem to be shorter and less patient with my daughter in comparison to the children within the classroom. This is an observation that makes me sad, but ready and willing to put forth the effort to change; effective immediately. My daughter and I have lots of fun together, but when it comes to learning I can be a bit militant. Though I come from a good place, simply because I want the best for her, I do not want to communicate to her in a manner that is stressful or cause her to lose interest in learning.

My goal is to make more conscious efforts to be more patient with my daughter. I want to communicate to her that she has my support and that I believe in her. I want to communicate to her that I proud of all that she has already accomplished as she learns and all that she will continue to learn. 

Creating Affirming Enviroments

     When considering the setting of a child care home one of the first things that come to mind a very obvious very direct method of making children feel visible within the classroom. I consider pictures. For me, it is important to have pictures of the children with their families. We would display them on a tree, the classroom family tree. By doing so, we also encourage interaction and dialogue between the children where they are now introducing their families, family roles and traditions or the norms within their families.
       In addition to the family photos, it is important to incorporate different people, of different genders, race and physical abilities participating in different jobs as well as different extracurricular activities. It is important for children to see beyond stereotypical ideas of what certain people should or should not be doing. It is important that children understand that there aren't any limitations to what we can do within this world.
       Puzzles are a great way to make different families and abilities visible within the classroom. Puzzles are perfect visual tools for children. They are also beneficial in the development of children's fine motor and cognitive development.
        It is also important that children have materials and furniture within the classroom that promotes independent exploration. It is also important that the layout is carefully organized for the children within the classroom. For instance, it is important to have shelves, pictures etc, at eye level for the children so it is not uncomfortable for children to maneuver around the classroom. When the children are comfortable and can move most freely within the material they are more likely to stay interested in materials for a longer period of time.
        Overall, it is important that children as well as their families are represented within their classroom. It is also important that children are exposed to people different from themselves to gain better insights of the world around them