Natalie Pasilis
My Philosophy for p-3 Early Childhood Classroom
My philosophy of early childhood education begins with family collaboration, creating developmentally appropriate environments, and developing social emotional awareness through play and incorporating a child-centered curriculum.
Building a foundation of home and school is critical in having a relationship with families. Involving families from the very beginning of the school year builds trust, familiarity and honesty. Once families know there is an open line of communication with the teacher, they no longer fear a phone call home from their child’s teacher, because it may be a pleasant call. Many times teachers only reach out to families if there is a situation with the child that is not a good one, whether it is academic or behavioral. Once a teacher creates constant communication, the teacher can more easily gain the trust of the family, and they will trust that not every form of contact will be a negative one.
Involving the family also will allow the family to be more involved in the class. The family may want to volunteer their time by coming and reading a book, or teaching the class about their background and traditions. These different forms of involvement can be coordinated with class themes. A family may want to volunteer their time to the class to discuss their career, and if they are a community helper, they can discuss how they assist in the community. We can learn a lot from families, so involving them from the very beginning is only a benefit. Family involvement also means the parents or guardians are more aware of class assignments and projects, which will ensure these assignments, are completed.
After listening to Sandra Duncan’s “Heart Centered Classroom Design”, justified my belief that the environment that a child in is, has an impact on their learning. A warm, inviting class with a child’s perspective in mind is key. Having developmentally appropriate class manipulatives, toys and games, at a child’s eye level, is very important. Having a child’s perspective in mind while creating and decorating a class, also makes the students feel like the class is their safe space, a space that they belong in, a space they are comfortable in.
The curriculum of the class should implement social emotional practices, giving students the tools to identify their own feelings and emotions. Helping students understand their feelings, and the feelings of their peers gives them the ownership of naming how they feel, and knowing how to handle their feelings. Once a student understands their emotions, they can more easily work on calming their bodies if they have big feelings, and know it is perfectly acceptable to have these feelings.
Knowing and understanding feelings, allows the students to be able to self regulate themselves, and to not have to rely on the teacher at all times. A child-centered classroom also means that the students are learning through their play and from their peer’s , and having the teacher there to monitor during playtime, or free choice.