On Subsequent Inspection...

This blog's title, On Subsequent Inspection, is meant to reflect the many times I've said something, only to later recognize the inconsistency of that idea with my ideals. Today was a good reminder of that. I've been considering the ways in which girls' play, like women's labor, is undervalued in even my own head. I'm not sure what sparked the realization; perhaps reviewing my documentation and noticing more photos of stereotypical masculine work than feminine. It's true; the girl examining the dead fly had many more photos and much more of a write up than the girls and boys making birthday cakes from playground mulch. And the boys using plastic pipes to transport water got more "air time" than the girls decorating for a party. I realized, in my frustration over needing pink legos to engage some children, that be focusing on the pink, I'm devaluing children's genuine likes and interests. Why am I excited when a boy tells me his favorite c

Have you ever been so tired that you didn't wash the dishes in the sink before going to bed? Or left laundry out for someone else to fold because you had other things to do? So why are you expecting an exhausted three year old to put away his lunch dishes instead of just laying down on his cot like his body needs to? What possible way could fighting this need meet a goal for you or the child? If we want children to grow into people who respect what their bodies need, and trust others to help them, what purpose does this serve?  I want to be the early educator who can respect a child's humanity, who can understand that just because the clock says 12:10 and the schedule says nap time isn't until 12:45, the child's need for rest overrules this piece of paper.  I want to be the type of person  who can give a little grace and humanity to an environment that rewards quiet compliance. Because right now, we need a little more questioning of the status quo,