Reading aloud is more than just a powerful shared experience–it can also be an important tool for building essential life skills for young children. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is one area that can be developed through the power of reading.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday established in 2021 that celebrates and commemorates the end of slavery in America. Juneteenth is considered the “longest-running African-American” holiday and has been called “America’s second Independence Day.”
When was the last time you experienced strong feelings in your classroom? Probably every day. Working with children is demanding and can bring up a lot of strong feelings.
Are you considering your own self-regulation needs as well as those of the children you’re working with? How can we process all of what we're feeling so we can move through challenging moments and make a difference for each child in our classrooms?
This month we are celebrating Pride with stories you can use in your classroom or read to your own family to help children understand and celebrate all people, no matter their differences. Check out this list of 20 stories that represent LGBTQIA+ families and children.
Children experiencing homelessness are subject to stressors that their housed peers typically don’t experience and it is difficult for children to “leave their stressors at the door” when they come to school.
The Council for Professional Recognition recently published a whitepaper, The Invisible Children in Our Midst, that explores this topic. The paper discusses steps that some teacher education programs are taking to help future teachers better understand how a lack of secure housing may impact children and their families.
What would the perfect day look like in your classroom? When was the last time you spent time thinking about that? When was the last time you talked with your teaching team about creating a shared classroom vision? Those are big questions, and you may be wondering how to answer them. Today’s guest may be able to help.
Today, you’ll hear from Deidre Harris. Deidre serves as an educational coach for the Pyramid Model Consortium. Deidre’s worked in the early childhood field for over 25 years and has a special focus on teaching teams. Listen in to hear what she has to say about how she began to focus on teaching teams, what to do when conflict happens, and why you should write down team agreements.
Chazz Lewis is an educational specialist who “teaches teachers to teach” in a chain of child development centers. He works closely with schools, teachers, and children. He earned his master’s in executive leadership at American University. Mr. Chazz envisions a world where most people wake up every day, enjoying the process of becoming the best versions of themselves. He’s also well known on TikTok, Instagram, and his own podcast.
In today’s episode, Mr. Chazz explains how he got into teaching, why he decided to teach young children, and what kept him teaching. He also talks about building a community in the classroom and being the community you want to build.
Teachstone recently hosted the What Is “Quality” Teaching Anyway? webinar with Laura Iannazzo, Professional Services Manager at Teachstone, and Gena Puckett, Education and Training Specialist from the University of Mississippi School of Education. Together, they talked about the significance of quality interactions between early childhood educators and infants or toddlers in their care.
Three reflections that will inspire you to become culturally responsive and make children feel seen, accepted, and recognized.
I moved to the United States years ago when I was a teenager. I felt confused, scared, and out of place in my new school. As soon as I learned English, I decided to stop speaking my native language to hide who I was. I thought that by hiding my identity people would not notice I was different, and accept me.
Today starts the kick-off to another Week of the Young Child! While I, and I know others at Teachstone, feel strongly that young children, their educators, and their families deserve to be celebrated every day, we’re excited to have an opportunity to intentionally highlight the impact you have on young children, celebrate the rapidly developing brains of young children, and recognize that each day, even beyond this week, offers ample opportunities for meaningful interactions.
