On Subsequent Inspection...

While we were walking downtown recently looking for signs of fall and useful print, a man on the street made a comment that caught me off guard. "Those are some well-disciplined children!" Now, if you had asked me, I would have said they are disciplined. I also would have said they know what to do and we work well together. They know how to be safe in the road, we went out at a time when they weren't yet hungry or tired so they had the brainpower to follow street safety rules and staying to the sides of the road. Undoubtedly the man was commenting on the children between me and my assistant (I was up front holding hands with the two youngest walkers, then there was a preschooler sandwich of four children paired up holding hands, then my assistant pushing the stroller with four infants and toddlers) who were walking carefully and safely. I have argued before that we should be using the term "discipline" rather than guidance, because of it's stress on ...

The last week of my program has seen a sudden burst of "I hate you!" from a couple of our preschoolers. I can understand the appeal to three- and four-year-olds; it's a very powerful phrase. Efficient, ruthless, and maybe a little daring. Gets a reaction from surrounding adults. My coteacher and I were discussing how we are handling it, and what, if anything else, we should be doing. After some reflection, we decided that acknowledging "It looks like you're really angry that I/she/he/they (fill-in-the-blank here with the offending action). If you want to cool off and be alone, you may go somewhere else for as long as you need to." This has been working rather well, with the children taking the opportunity to find a place by themselves, whether that's their cot, the porch swing, or just a quiet corner that no one else is presently occupying. We're also working with the children on the receiving end on how to let the child be by themselves when they ...