Leaps in Learning

Hopkins-Locke Center, Room 10

Miss Leslie, AA-ECE, Hired 09-2014

Miss Devon, BA-ECE, Hired 08-2014

This week I was joined by our Head Start Director, Shauna Matelski. Together we went into Room 10. We stepped in while the teachers were doing a group teaching. As we listened in, I could not miss the big smile on Shauna's face; then she leaned in and whispered “concept development.” Three-, four- and five-year-olds can and do master abstract ideas. Children, like adults, constantly take in new information and process it in ways that allow them to better understand the world we live in.

The children were examining antlers from a show-and-tell item one of the children brought to share. They practiced saying the word “antlers” by sounding out the syllables. Free play followed and there was more creative thought in the form of seashells and moldable play sand. The water table was a popular learning center with toys that promote learning about mass, movement and density. Talk about big concepts! Yet, young children reason through why some objects float and others sink. They know full from empty. By the time they get to Kindergarten they will have successfully taken in concepts such as time, space and quantity. That is pretty amazing when you think about it.

The room had a table with natural objects found in the woods, including leaves, twigs and seed heads. One can easily imagine how conversations went when those items were examined. There was also a fish tank. Well, all our classrooms have a fish tank.

Miss Devon showed a couple of the children a round, hollow shell and the children talked about how snails live in such shells. Shauna asked the children what other items could be found on beaches. The children were almost speaking over each other sharing their beach stories. One student even became the questioner. She wanted to know if anyone had ever seen a whale. I shared that I would like to, but have not had the pleasure.

What I Learned from Ms. Leslie

There is an English-as-a-second language student who is from an African country in Room 10. Miss Leslie spent time during free play with her at the vocabulary station. There are audio games at the station which the children enjoy. Miss Leslie was keyed into each child's needs. She is a teacher who makes sure the quiet ones are doing okay. She supports them in ways that bring them out of their shell, so to speak.

What I Learned from Ms. Devon

Ms. Devon has an enthusiasm for sharing knowledge. When the children bring ideas to her they are excited about, Ms. Devon gets equally excited. It is not something you can fake, at least not in the long run. Children know. So, ideas flow freely in Room 10. What I saw was her asking questions to find out more and sharing observations that prompted the children to think deeper. The children carry out ongoing dialogues with her. It makes for a very vocal group of children who are unafraid of sharing their ideas.

 

Memorable Moment

I watched Shauna carefully get on the floor and equally carefully get off the floor after circle time. She has a knee injury that has to be considered. Here's the thing, Shauna has impressed upon me that educating young children means everything, people included, have to shift closer to children’s eye level. So I was not surprised to see her getting down on the floor and at their level. I watch Shauna do what is in the best interest of children every day.

Linking It Together

Our annual report comes out next week. In it the agency's commitment to developing a learning culture is featured. We are committed to getting every position in the agency filled with staff members that have the experience, knowledge, and skills for each job. We provide training and support that allow employees to continue to grow. We are working to make sure that staff routinely know how appreciated they are for judiciously using their abilities on behalf of those we serve. 

That is all big picture stuff that, in practice, comes down to thoughtful questions about seashells and being sensitive to student needs. Each time we help a child grow more comfortable with speaking English and each time we act as a spring board for young minds to share their ideas,we are creating that learning culture. It was equally evident last week when a young charge was encouraged to crawl. It was evident in the first classroom I went into at Hamilton Center when every child’s ideas about the story being read were incorporated into the lesson. 

This week, it occurred to me as I experienced the high degree of chatter in Room 10 that I am hearing more and more from staff. In the months and years ahead, we will systematically bring employee wisdom and commitment into decision making and strategic planning. We already have plans in place to make that happen. There is so much knowledge and goodness in our agency and we need to use all the good ideas, abstract or otherwise, to get things done.