This is a variation on my “earlier-is-not-better” theme. If you’ve been following my work – whether recently or for a while – you know that I’m continually trying to debunk the insidious myth that earlier is better. It’s become so prevalent in our society! Whether we’re talking about athletics or academics, parents, administrators, policymakers, and…
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In a recent interview for The Play Based Learning Podcast, host Kristen Peterson asked about my “origin” story. I explained that I’d fallen into the early childhood field by accident when a neighbor asked me to teach dance to a group of preschoolers. I then went on to outline how my mission evolved from being…
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When education leader Peter DeWitt invited me to participate in one of his online discussions, he told me that EDWeek readers had been asking for a segment on early childhood education. They had questions about the effect of the pandemic on ECE, but they also wanted to discuss the field in general. What was different…
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The other day, on a LinkedIn post, someone left this question in the comments: “Why do you need a four-year degree to be a babysitter?” I realize I’m naïve, but it still stuns me that people continue to think of early childhood professionals as babysitters! It just goes to show how little the average person…
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There’s a whole lot of misinformation flying around these days! Whether it’s about what it takes to be a good parent, or what children really need to succeed, there are myths wreaking havoc on childhood, on early education, and on you! I don’t know why people are believing the myths. And I don’t know how…
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Rusty Keeler, author of Adventures in Risky Play, is the guest author of this blog post. I love this new book and invited him to submit an excerpt from it. Here it is! ____________________ There is a Zen saying “the world is upside down.” It means the way we look at the world is actually the…
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All over social media – and beyond – people are breathlessly counting down the days until the end of 2020. Like four-year-olds who engage in magical thinking, we’re imagining life will miraculously improve at the stroke of midnight on December 31st. And who could blame us? It’s been a singularly difficult year. I’ve never lived through…
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A few things inspired this blog post. One was a real estate episode on HGTV during which yet another mother declared she had to have an open concept — because otherwise she wouldn’t be able to see her children at all times and know what they were doing. The second was a conversation with Rusty…
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The debate over screen use for children has been around since screen use for children became a thing, with few neutral feelings on the issue. People tend to be either fervently pro-technology: “It’s going to be part of their world, so they need to learn about it as early as possible!” Or they’re fervently anti-technology:…
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“Instructional time” has long been a phrase that sets my teeth on edge, used as it is to keep children in seats and to eliminate recess from their day. But recently another phrase has me clenching my teeth. That phrase is “learning loss,” which seems to be on everybody’s lips lately. Last week I even…
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There’s really nothing I can add to all of the meaningful conversations currently taking place in our country and around the world. Like so many others, I am hurting. When Barack Obama was elected president, I celebrated the idea that racism was, if not a thing of the past, then at least significantly waning in…
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The other day I was proofing the final pages for my upcoming book, What If We Taught the Way Children Learn? and read the following from Chapter 20: We need creativity in medicine if we’re to find new healing methods. We need creativity in science if we’re to discover answers to the world’s mysteries. When…
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Over the 40 years I’ve worked in early childhood education, I’ve believed many times that a revolution in the field was imminent. Heaven knows we’ve certainly needed one, as misguided policies have brought about increasingly inappropriate practices. Surely people who understand child development would finally begin making the decisions about ECE! Clearly, I’ve been naïve.…
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You probably wouldn’t guess that I’m quite knowledgeable on the subject of burnout. After all, I’m not a psychologist. I hold no position in the mental health profession. But in the past, I have suffered from fairly severe burnout. Three times, sadly. The first one was in the 1980s. I had never heard the word…
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There is so much talk these days about how much school kids are missing. About how much “learning” is being lost. And I can’t help but wonder when school became the end-all and be-all for children. Especially for young children – who, until recently in history, were never part of the schooling scene anyway and…
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