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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Boredom is something today’s children have rarely experienced – because they’ve never had the chance to get bored. Today’s children have had their lives filled with “schooling” and endless activities, all due to the mistaken notion that if they don’t excel in early childhood, they will never reach their potential. That their “resumés” will look…
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In my last blog post, I wrote that the late Bev Bos used the phrase childhood amnesia to describe the way in which adults fail to remember what it was like to be a kid. Bev believed that if adults could remember, they wouldn’t do to children what we’re currently doing to them. That is…
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Way back in 2003, I wrote a book for parents in which, among other things, I warned against the “superkid” syndrome. It went out of print in a shorter amount of time than it took to write it, a situation I blame only partly on the stupid title the publisher gave it. I additionally attribute…
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What are some words that come to mind when you think about transitions in your early childhood setting? Might they include chaotic, noisy, unmanageable, frustrating, or time-wasting? These are some of the responses I receive when I ask that question in my presentations. I then ask: Not academically speaking, what things would be at the…
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The four components of the language arts are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I’ve long contended that the first two don’t get the respect and attention they deserve because our education system focuses so heavily on the latter two — but especially on reading. That’s why I was thrilled to come across a post in…
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A funny thing happened on my way to stronger knees. I had just barely begun physical therapy to work the muscles around them when I realized that I’d been coddling myself for years. Because my aching joints and muscles had caused so much discomfort, I had, with just a few exceptions, become too sedentary. It…
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At this time of year, our thoughts turn to wish lists and goals. So, with that in mind, I thought I’d let Santa know what I want for children in the new year. Here’s my list, in no particular order: Free play! That means child-initiated and child-directed. As much of it as possible, please. The…
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Albert Einstein wrote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Unfortunately, our system of education values and validates only the most narrow of abilities and talents, in essence judging every student by its “ability to climb a tree.” If a child happens…
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