Ah, profound in its simplicity. I hope to take this question to our next EC faculty collaboration meeting. There has been much conversation in our school about the unique needs this year, and hypothesis that some of these are due to being a year and half into a pandemic and all of the ways that it has impacted children and families. So, to return to this question -- what do our children need from us now -- feels like such a grounded, authentic exploration of our role this year.

Such a lovely description of the ever-changing roles of an engaged and adapting teacher in tune with the evolving needs of their student. I appreciate that it speaks to the various roles, but also the nuances involved in how one responds differently, is the situation requires, even within a single role.

How beautiful to make space for being surprised by the children's responses. This also is a wonderful illustration that children are often quite intentional in their quest for autonomy -- it's not just choice for choice's sake. In this conversation, they demonstrate their prioritization of connecting with their classmates during a mean than the independence of choosing when to eat.

ah, powerful! The right for children to play as equated to the right to free speech. A profound recognition of play as one of the many languages of children.

So insightful, and portrayed so much more effectively through this illustration than might have been via a verbal description

Such an important question! How was adults and advocates for children adequately represent the preverbal children in our communities? My initial thought are to stay connected to the touchstone of developmentally appropriate practice along with what we have learned about each individual child, their interests, their likes and dislikes, and what makes them unique. In attempts to "speak for" very young children, how do we know if our guesses/assumptions are correct? As in the anecdote farther along in the article, how easily it is to get confused and perhaps not even notice the mix-up, despite how it was caught in the "right/write" confusion.

I really try to remember this, as children arrive, that they've already experienced sometimes several hours of push and pull during a time of day that is sometimes difficult and hurried for families. My morning schedule and routine is created to support a gentle and welcoming, yet engaging, transition to school ... and it's sometimes the part of the day where I feel most spread thin as I really hope to connect with each child when they arrive.

I appreciate this idea of the environment being fluid and evolving to reflect the changing dynamics of the children using the space.