Symone Ayers-Hanes

Essay 2: How I Look at Children

Providing a foundation and educating the future investors, teachers, advertisers, managers and innovators are tasks that

cannot be taken lightly. It is full of responsibilities, challenges, and most of all, elation. All children should have equal access

to educational opportunities that afford a positive unbiased learning environment. Every child deserves the opportunity to

explore, play and question the world around them because each child will have their own experience. As an unbiased teacher,

I don’t rely on ethnicity, race, ability, age, and/or sex to determine what is taught in my classroom; however, by being aware

of the variables, I am able to consider “what are the best practices for teaching, learning and assessment” (Mindes & Jung,

2015, p.11)? I expose my children to a variety of visual and environmental prints such as pictures of themselves and family,

label objects with pictures using a variety of written languages, and showcase their personal work. I provide opportunities for

learning through social interactions, curiosity, inquiry, and meeting each child’s physical and psychological needs through

play (Mindes & Jung, 2015, p. 10). My teaching philosophy involves me being a continuous learner; stakeholder in children’s

lives; evaluator of my practice through child and professional assessments, parent partnerships and personal reflections;

classroom arranger; builder of an inclusive, engaging and collaborative environment; knowing that children are capable of

learning, sharing, playing, and a role model by striving for personal and professional excellence in everything that I do.

As a teacher, I need to continuously be aware of different theories and practices in order to stay current with my own

practice. I need to be aware of developmental levels and the expected behavior along with academic expectations within the

developmental domain, grade band, age and gender. It is my duty to see that all my students are being motivated and

encouraged throughout the learning process. Each child deserves to have my full attention to their educational needs. My goal

is to provide authentic learning and assessment opportunities through a variety of verbal, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic

lessons which will reach all learners in the classroom. Additionally, I make sure that the tests and curriculum align and use

authentic assessment and collection of child work samples in portfolio format to guide my lessons and see what children are

learning. This allows me to see if I am being effective as an educator.

As an educator, I have learned to link different theories from recognized theorist to understand child development. I

believe Uri Bronfenbrenner’s five environmental systems (Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and

Chronosystem) is relevant because fostering positive relationships in different environments is important and can affect the

child’s development. I believe that nature verse nurture work jointly. The theory allows me to see typical verse atypical child

Essay 2: How I Look at Children 1

development due to genetics or environmental influences (e.g. negative impacts such as drug abuse, alcohol abuse, smoking

and poor nutrition). Another theorist, Jean Piaget considered children to be active participants in their own learning. John

Dewey’s focus on education being child centered and interactive requires me to use assessments such as observation to

discover children’s interest and see what they are ready to do and determine the next steps. Lastly, Mildred Parten’s seven

stages of social play provided me a platform to examine play at different ages; moreover, it shows that social play in children

may not develop linearly because it depends on familiarity with another object, child and the environment.

Since I consider the children when making decisions, I believe that they are essential to building a strong learning

community. Once a child enters my learning studio, they are cared for social/emotionally, welcomed with open arms, and

encouraged to share their opinions, ideas, and being fearless. It is my duty to keep everyone safe and the studio running

smoothly. I ensure that all of my children understand that we (each student, each parent and I) are in a partnership with the

shared goal as stakeholders of their success by building a safe and caring environment and support network for each child, so

that together we are looking at the developmental process and progress of individual children. Moreover, I make it clear that

in order for our partnership to be mutually beneficial, we (each parent, each student and I) all must be held accountable. I

welcome all parents to visit, volunteer and engage in the daily learning process with me. My role is to provide a space where

I can actively teach and promote learning in development domains. The parent’s role is to remain actively engaged in their

child’s development process. In early childhood development, the child is an active participant in his or her own growth and

development.

The key developmental domains I invite stakeholders to examine include: Aesthetic Development, Emotional

Development, Cognitive, Development, Language/Communication Development, Physical Development and Social

Development (MSU Children’s Curriculum, 2017). I use a variety of tools such as anecdotal notes, running records,

checklist, and time sampling to observe the domains and use my expertise and others’ knowledge of the child to make

decisions about the standards that will be focused on and even individualize a student’s lesson plan. Utilizing the domains

and observation, I am able to see children learning and mastering skills like sitting, crawling, babbling, cooing, recognizing

their name, counting objectives, object permanence and responding to single and multi-step directions. The observations

allow me to determine whether the child needs more modeling and opportunities to grow and reach the developmental

milestone. Furthermore, it assists me in making a recommendation to seek intervention from the child study team or multi-

disciplinary team.

Essay 2: How I Look at Children 2

 Additionally, classroom organization/arrangement is a crucial concept to understand when teaching. If students are in a

classroom that is unorganized or arranged in a way which impedes learning (i.e. too many items are on the floor disturbing

the flow, access, of the classroom), I need to find creative new ways to have the room set up to help my students learn. Re-

organizing and clean a room can provide new areas of exploration. For example, when I taught kindergarten students in the

resource room the classroom was one-third the size of the other classrooms, so I removed my oversized “teacher desk” to

provide a large book nook area and built a quiet area for students to retreat to. This allowed me to provide students with a

variety of book choices and accommodate their needs of wanting to be alone at times or seeking sensory input.

I believe that all children learn best by doing, since learning is a continuous process that should be fun, engaging and

collaborative. This is done through hands on activities, interactive lessons, and flexibility. As I plan lessons, I consider the

inclusive environment I have created to assure that each child reaches their own success because they are capable individuals

who have much to learn and share with others. Since the “primary purpose of assessment is supporting high-quality

learning” (Mindes & Jung, 2015, p.18), observation is key in supporting teachers as decision makers because the “formal and

informal decisions that we make can affect children’s development” (Mindes & Jung, 2015, p.42). Guiliana, G. & Pierangelo,

R. (2008) emphasize that “the decisions made about a student during this process can affect him for the rest of his life.

Ultimately, these decisions are critical in meeting the needs of his present and future educational situations” (p. 3). By

presenting the information in multiple modalities, I can reach all children and build on their strengths. Additionally, I have to

“develop assessment plans that are comprehensive yet realistic” (Mindes & Jung, 2015, p. 43) For example, when working

with infants, I have to remember the developmental milestones and remain open- ended in my lesson plans so that I can

continue to add to the lesson as necessary. I believe that the classroom environment must be welcoming, inclusive and

challenging. I can utilize each student’s unique makeup and contribution as an impetus for inquiry and analysis.

Lastly on a personal level, I am a role model and believe it is my duty to ensure that my students receive my best as a

teaching professional by constantly keeping abreast of new developments in early childhood education through readings,

coursework, attending conferences and maintaining memberships in professional organizations. As a member of the National

Education Association (NEA), Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MIAEYC), Michigan Education

Association (MEA), and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), I have attended conferences

where I can learn from experts in the field of child development and apply elements of what I learned into my practice. By

taking online professional development courses through ChildCare Education Institute(CCEI), and in-class courses at MSU

Essay 2: How I Look at Children 3

and having hands on experience at the MSU Child Development Laboratories, I can see my growth as an educator not only

through grades or a percentage score but when co-workers or administration provide feedback.

In conclusion, I believe it’s important for children to see that I am still learning and receiving feedback. This is done by

reading with or to the class; interacting; holding reciprocal conversations; modeling behavior expectations; singing and

listening to the children, and allowing administration to step in with my students and model their expectations of me. It’s

important that I provide a meaningful education that is applicable to the world they interact with. As an educator, I should be

ready to accommodate different student’s abilities and learning modalities based off of assessment, observations and

development milestones. Furthermore, I believe it is important that children know it is okay to make mistakes and take risk

because then learning happens. As the teacher, I have to pave the way for them to be fearless learners that use inquiry.

Essay 2: How I Look at Children 4

 Reference List

Centers for Disease Control Developmental Milestones Checklist:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/all_checklists.pdf.

Gonzalz-Mena, J. & Eyer, D. (2015). Infants, toddlers, and caregivers, tenth edition. NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN:978-

007-811034-4

Jablon, J. R., Dombro, A. L., & Dichtelmiller, M. L. (2013). Chapter 1: Introduction. The Power of Observation (pp. 1 –

10). Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Jablon, J. R., Dombro, A. L., & Dichtelmiller, M. L. (2013). Chapter 3: You As Observer. The Power of Observation (pp.

31-54). Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc.

Lewin-Benham, A. (2010). Infants and toddlers at work. NY: Teachers College Press. ISBN: 978-0-8077-5107-7

Mindes, G., & Jung, L. A. (2015). Assessing Young Children, 5th Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson.

MSU Children’s Curriculum: Preschool, and Infant/Toddler. Draft Version January 13, 2017.

Pierangelo, R,. & Giuliani, G. (2008). Understanding Assessment in the Special Education Process. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Corwin Press.

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