This past week, I cried at school. I cried because no child, at the ages of four to five years old, should have experienced the kind of pain that makes them lash out for reasons unknown to me. What could have possibly happened in their short lives that causes them to destroy everything in their path? To become so upset that they aren't able to be consoled or helped to calm down?
I cried for the the student who has had unspeakable things done to them by someone who should be keeping them safe, not doing something to them that would make your skin crawl. All I can do for this child is to provide a safe, loving environment. To listen when they feel like talking. To do everything in my power to let them know that nothing can hurt them when they are with me.
I cried because of what preschool has become. No longer is preschool about exposure to experiences that they have not been able to experience. It's now about preparation for kindergarten. It about arbitrary "learning loss." If I hear that term again, I'm going to scream!
What if teaching were about meeting kids where they are and engaging them to go further than ever thought possible. What if we measured learning gains, instead of holding children accountable for some set of standards that some big curriculum publishing company decided they should know at a given age? Our children are not machines! They are special, unique individuals.
The social-emotional needs of our children are higher than ever. Last year, I was incensed by the term "Covid kids." The children in my classroom now haven't known anything else! They have only known some form of social isolation. The Corona Virus hit my area of the United States in March of 2020. The students that are currently in my class were only two years old at that time. Their social/emotional needs are HUGE! Let's focus on that, shall we? It's the only way to help our students be successful. e
Let us be a voice for our children! Let us hear them, protect them, and love them for the unique, individual, truly amazing people that they are. Each child!
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