How to school a child

     Today's fun has mostly been in the form of fatigue and a sore throat, but I also submitted a quick paper for my ECE class on theories and practices.  We had to write a personal philosophy on education.  Having now studied and done little observations of classrooms -- namely Head Start, High/Scope, Project Approach, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf --  I've come to understand how much there is to choose from. Personally, I think my ideal is a touch of Reggio with a grounding in Waldorf, doing the project approach in the home as supplemental learning.  Seriously, it is quite interesting to take a look at the differing philosophies and practices of education in curriculum, discipline, views on children, environment, parental involvement, teacher qualities and so on.  In talking to Brant about it all, he seemed to agree with me and also favored the nearest Waldorf school, Live Oak, as a potential for the kids due to the rich curriculum.  So here are tonight's thoughts on what education should be about:

Personal Philosophy on Early Childhood Education

by M.E.M. Moon

            While the “how” of a child may learn is unique and varied, all children learn best when they are given opportunity to explore and know without doubt that they are loved and supported.  The classroom is both indoors and out, in static displays and adult modeling.  Children learn with all their senses, and leap forward in capacity in able to learn accordingly.  Teachers cannot and should not replace the role of parents in the home, but they are an important additional influence upon a child’s sense of value and future success.  If children believe they are respected in the classroom, that their voice will not only be heard, but responded to as valuable input, they will respond with greater interest in subjects taught.  With a feeling of mutual care and support, children eagerly will take in new information.

Children are treasure boxes of great potential.  According to Gardner’s multiple-intelligences theory, there are Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Musical, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal forms of intelligence that should be addressed. Curriculum should help children to gain mastery in each of these subjects, granting a true holistic education.  Emotional intelligence can be fostered through teacher modeling and gentle advisement as situations arise which require correction.  As Piaget demonstrated, children have developmental stages.  These should be respected as students grow, lessons structured in appropriate ways that match the stage the children in question are moving through.  Children should also be given opportunities to better understand and connect themselves to their family, community, culture, nation, and world, through a variety of activity, study, and field trips.  By fostering creativity, children not only better comprehend the world around them, it provides priceless tools that allow children to excel in science, language, mathematics, and all forms of artistic expression.  Children will rise to meet new challenges, and therefore should be assisted in scaffolding learning that allows them to do more, not just what is “appropriate for their age bracket.”

            As children are learning and growing, it means there is opportunity for error.  Most early mistakes are not maliciously meant, nor do they necessitate extreme measures of correction to eliminate their future possibility.  Discipline if needed should be immediate and never arbitrary to allow cause and effect to be clearly understood and respected by the child.  This only works if the caretaker/teacher has already established a loving and respectful environ, otherwise a moment of strictness will be lost in the noise of too many other negatives.  Guidance should be given along the way and after any mistake.  Teachers should not wait for “the shoe to drop” before taking corrective steps.  It is better to inform the child before the mistake can occur, allowing for a teaching moment and the child an opportunity to be enriched in maturity.

A proper learning environment engages children’s curiosity, fine and gross motor skills, visual acuity, and sense of well-being.  While being given free choice of activity to pursue, children should also be given a predictable structure to learn by, as this is important for grounding the child in a sense of security and predictability important for fostering future independence.  Too much choice without enough guidance leads a child to become frustrated, worrisome, directionless, and later in life more dependent upon external forces to guide.  Children have differing social and attention needs when it comes to learning.  Teachers should allow for a balance of group and self-motivated activity to engage those strengths.  Whenever able, individual interests should be addressed and encouraged with deeper exploration in short and long-term projects.  As children are given opportunity to gain mastery in a multitude of fields, they “claim” the learning environment as their own.

Quality family involvement is key for a child’s proper development and future success.  Parents generally know their children better than anyone else, and thereby are a valuable resource in the classroom as a source of knowledge, assistance, comfort, and insight to draw upon. Teachers should work with families to help plan for special needs or interests a child may present in the classroom.  Home and school life can become better linked for the child when traditions and culture can be shared in both arenas freely.  When a child feels free to share school projects at home and familiar traditions at school, all are benefited by this exchange.

A teacher’s qualities are key to how well a program can touch the lives of participating children.  The first and foremost characteristic is the ability to create a joy for learning instead of a sense of drudgery.  When teachers are excited about the material they share, children will reflect it.  Teachers should be observant, kind, wise, and engaging as they work with children.  Teachers should be well informed on the material they are teaching so that questions may not catch them unaware, and that further learning opportunities and linkage of information may not be lost.  By understanding that their every attitude and physical expression is modeling what observing children should be and expect in interrelations, teachers can behave in positive ways that will make a difference.

Education should be a gateway for youth to become excited and prepared to greet tomorrow.