Ms. Agnes's classroom

Behind the “big feelings”,,,,,,, Last Saturday, I attended a conference about the developing social and emotional brain of young children hosted by CCRR with guest speakers, Dr. Vanessa Lapointe and David Loyst. The point of the whole presentation is about building connections with the young children before discipline, which I totally agree with. Some great examples and suggestions had been mentioned and discussed. However, I am just wondering how those strategies work in a small group setting, especially in the daycare, the raio is 1 to 8. It could be difficult for a teacher who works alone with 8 young children to manage everything effectively when “big feelings” arise. Picture this. The washroom is down the hallway. A teacher takes 8 little ones to the washroom after a nap. Some of them are still in potty training, needing pull-up change. The youngest starts having a tantrum due to not having enough nap. Why? The parents requested a short nap for this child so the child could go to ...

The moments……. Being an ECE could be physically tiring and mentally draining. However, the moments witnessing the growth of the children I work with is truly rewarding. Here are the moments that are worthy to cherish…….. On a cloudy morning, walking in the neighborhood……. While walking through the parking lot toward the street to begin our adventure, Child W, the only 2 and half boy, asked me, “Agnes, are we doing a fire drill today?” “No, not today,” I answered and was wondering why he popped the question suddenly. I followed his sight and then realised he saw the orange traffic cone at the entrance of the parking lot, which is our meeting point for emergencies. Then, Child J said,”look! The orange cone!” Child G continued, “ that’s where we do fire drills.” Then, I said,” yes, if the building is on fire or in any emergency, we follow the teachers. If you don’t see your teachers, we meet at the orange cone!”  After walking two blocks, “Chinese New Year, “ one of the children point...

From Chinese New Year to an inclusive classroom Celebrating holidays is one of the great ways to introduce variant  cultures. With happiness, joy and fun activities, young children embrace the difference of the world. Recently,I just talked about Chinese New Year. While I was decorating festival items on the wall, my little friends showed their great interest by eagerly asking me questions. Curiosity shines on their faces. Their excitement told me they couldn’t wait to hear more at the circle time today.  I opened my circle by talking about some traditional elements seen in CNY, including spring couplets, red envelopes, decorations with fish, old coins and lanterns. I simplified the words to explain the meaning behind these items, passing them around to the children so they could touch the materials and closely observe the shapes and colors. Surely, how could we forget to learn 12 Chinese Zodiacs animals, each representing a year in the lunar calendar as well as the grand feas...

  Assessments in early childhood  Personally, as an ECE, I truly believe making assessments is a valuable way to deepen an understanding of  the children I work with and  the data gathered allows me to make meaningful  self-reflection as well as more approachable adjustment in curriculum design and lesson-planning. It requires great energy and attention to details about what happens to the child but it is also truly enjoyable. The purpose of assessments One of the key purposes of assessments in early childhood is to monitor and track their development across all developmental domains. However, I tend to focus on self-regulation in emotions, social interactions and language domains. For example, Child W and Child B have fought for one particular fire truck more frequently recently. It usually ended up with biting, screaming and crying. These two boys are only 2 and 3. I realize the whole point was not that fire truck. Instead, they needed language and social skil...

"No! I want to play!" Saying “no” is so common to be seen in toddlers, especially at the age between 2 and 3. Recently, we have a toddler who is about 2 and half, not cooperating with the given instructions , particularly in cleaning time or outdoor playing time. He starts with saying no, then running away and ends up with screams and crying. His behavior is totally understandable and fits the profile of a toddler. However, it does disrupt the group setting at the daycare and sometimes even affects the routines. For example, when he has a meltdown before getting soccer shots, it becomes a challenge for the teacher who works by herself with 8 children, taking them to a shared washroom and assisting them putting on their outdoor shoes and jackets, even muddy buddies. It happens frequently and makes the teacher very set and frustrated. It could be exhausting for a teacher dealing with a child with tantrums while keeping an eye on other children. So, usually, I will put the cryin...

  Hugs—giving my little friends individual attention  One of the challenging for me while working with the little ones is to acknowledge their emotions and provide individual comfort while balancing the structure and boundaries they need. I believe once the young children start daycare or preschool programs, it is an essential stage of developing the social skills that connect themselves to others, creating a sense of belonging and participating in the small group setting. Therefore, I do set up routines and expectations on them and am pretty firm while putting them in practice in the classroom. However, it does not mean I do not see their emotions, needs, anxiety, controlling issues or insecurity beneath their tantrums while being asked to cooperate with the “rules.” Sometimes, changes in the family also bring uncertainty to the young children. It could be a new family member coming or one of the parents is away for a few days. Young children need emotional support for differ...