On our page about the preschool program, I mention that we will invite children to participate, but that we will never force them. Some have asked why this is. After all, they point out, children need the adults to be in control! One cannot just let 4-year-olds run the show!
I agree with that, in many respects. Adults to have to be adults. We need to keep children safe, teach them right from wrong, and provide guidance to help them grow into responsible adults.
But here is the thing. I have worked and substituted in so many preschool and special ed programs where children have been required to participate in things like morning circle, ABA therapy, etc. I have seen children screaming at the tops of their lungs, as they were placed in special chairs with trays on the front, so that they cannot get up. A teaching assistant sits behind them to keep them from standing up, and they scream the whole time. To me, this seems unnecessary! What, exactly, is the child getting out of circle time, if he is being physically forced to stay there? Is he really paying attention to what the teacher is saying? Are the other children able to pay attention to the teacher at all, when their classmate is in such distress?
A teacher might explain, "Well, first they must learn to sit still in circle quietly and follow directions. Then they can learn other things."
My idea is... we have lots of other opportunities to teach them to follow directions. If a child hates something so much that it is making her scream, can't we just cut that part out and find another way to teach her?
I mentioned this example on the Preschool page of the website, as well. If there is a child who refuses to come to morning circle (or another activity) one day, we will give her other acceptable choices, such as sitting in another area of the room to watch (some kids need extra time to watch and observe before they feel comfortable joining in, while for other kids being in such close proximity to others can be very difficult), looking at a book, or taking a break in the sensory area. If the child refused the same activity on a daily basis, we would look into what she might need in order to participate. Again, just being allowed to sit a little further away from the others might be all the child needs.
We'll also make sure the child isn't completely missing anything important. If we are learning about the alphabet by fingerpainting on alphabet shapes, and one child hates fingerpainting, but we know she loves playing with blocks, we'll work with her on the alphabet using blocks. There are so many ways to teach children, and they shouldn't be limited to having to learn in the same way that everyone else is.
I agree with that, in many respects. Adults to have to be adults. We need to keep children safe, teach them right from wrong, and provide guidance to help them grow into responsible adults.
But here is the thing. I have worked and substituted in so many preschool and special ed programs where children have been required to participate in things like morning circle, ABA therapy, etc. I have seen children screaming at the tops of their lungs, as they were placed in special chairs with trays on the front, so that they cannot get up. A teaching assistant sits behind them to keep them from standing up, and they scream the whole time. To me, this seems unnecessary! What, exactly, is the child getting out of circle time, if he is being physically forced to stay there? Is he really paying attention to what the teacher is saying? Are the other children able to pay attention to the teacher at all, when their classmate is in such distress?
A teacher might explain, "Well, first they must learn to sit still in circle quietly and follow directions. Then they can learn other things."
My idea is... we have lots of other opportunities to teach them to follow directions. If a child hates something so much that it is making her scream, can't we just cut that part out and find another way to teach her?
I mentioned this example on the Preschool page of the website, as well. If there is a child who refuses to come to morning circle (or another activity) one day, we will give her other acceptable choices, such as sitting in another area of the room to watch (some kids need extra time to watch and observe before they feel comfortable joining in, while for other kids being in such close proximity to others can be very difficult), looking at a book, or taking a break in the sensory area. If the child refused the same activity on a daily basis, we would look into what she might need in order to participate. Again, just being allowed to sit a little further away from the others might be all the child needs.
We'll also make sure the child isn't completely missing anything important. If we are learning about the alphabet by fingerpainting on alphabet shapes, and one child hates fingerpainting, but we know she loves playing with blocks, we'll work with her on the alphabet using blocks. There are so many ways to teach children, and they shouldn't be limited to having to learn in the same way that everyone else is.