Storyteller, January 2011
Observations
“The Role of the Teacher: Partner, Nurturer and Guide”
(Edwards, 1998)
“Sometimes the adult works right inside a group of children and sometimes works just around the group, so he has many roles. The role of the adult is above all one of listening, observing, and understanding the strategy that children use in a learning situation. . .It is very important for us that the child should feel the teacher to be, not a judge, but a resource. . .We feel that the teacher must be involved within the child’s exploring procedure, if the teacher wants to understand how to be the organizer and provoker of occasions, on the one hand, and co-actor in discoveries, on the other. And our expectations of the child must be very flexible and varied. We must be able to be amazed and to enjoy, like the children often do. We must be able to catch the ball that the children throw us, and toss it back to them in a way that makes the children want to continue the game with us, developing, perhaps, other games as we go along” (Filippini, 1990).
Dear Families and Friends,
Welcome back! As we start the new year together, I would like to express my sincere admiration for, all of our teachers at Palisades Preschool. As the words of Filippini affirm, the role of the teacher in, our classrooms and in our outdoor environments is complex , multi-faceted, and challenging. We are, very fortunate to have such talented, creative, educated, caring and dedicated early childhood, professionals working with our young children. I am aware of the lovely and generous holiday gifts, that you presented to our staff members before the Winter Break and I would like to thank you for, acknowledging their outstanding work. I know that it means a lot to them to have your support and, gratitude.
Last spring, Sunflower teacher, Nathalie Fournet, completed all of the requirements for her California Child Development Permit. One of the last elements of her course of study was an, observational visit from one of her instructors at Santa Moncia College, Marilyn McGrath—who, currently serves as President of the California Association for the Education of Young Children. Of, course, Nathalie impressed Professor McGrath with her genuine enthusiasm for her work, her skillful, management of wiggly bodies and her excellent open-ended questions.
Also during Professor McGrath’s visit to our school, I shared with her some documentation of our approach to teacher observation and self-evaluation. As a result of our conversations, last summer I, was invited to write an article for the California Association for the Education of Young Children Journal. The article, entitled, “Documenting the Documenters” (Gambetti, 2001), appeared in the CAEYC, Summer Journal. The article features photos of some of our staff members interacting with children in our environments and reflects upon the value of feedback from colleagues as part of reflective practice. (I have also been invited to share our experience regarding this element of our work with, mentor teachers through the ECE Mentor Program headquartered in San Francisco.)
Until recently, we have relied primarily on digital photos to “document the documenters,” but, starting in February of this year, we intend to increase the use of video to capture our teachers in, action with the children. In classroom teaching teams, we will look together at the video clips and, share our observations, questions and suggestions. In addition to looking for clues to children’s interests and theories, we will also offer one another new strategies for our own professional growth. Allowing ourselves to become vulnerable among our colleagues is a big step for each of us and requires, that we place a great amount of trust in one another to express honest feedback with caring and, thoughtful intentions. As is true with the children and with families, our relationships become the, foundation of all of our educational endeavors.
During the past two weeks, I organized some of my own documentation of our teachers at work, with the children–and will be sharing the slides with teachers during the coming weeks in preparation, for individual teacher meetings with me in February. The teachers and I will set goals for ourselves and, meet again toward the end of the school year to reflect upon our work together. As should be the, case in any type of educational assessment, the observations then shape our future behaviors, strategies and questions–as part of the spiraling nature of the work. The use of the video, documentation will become a part of our process. It is my wish that the role of the teacher as, partner, nurturer, guide, researcher, philosopher, resource and advocate become more visible within our setting.
There are so many intricate aspects to our work at Palisades Preschool—and they are not separate, but interrelated and interdependent. We learn from the children, from families and from colleagues, and we invite you, also, to sustain your participation in the teaching and learning process at Palisade Preschool by continuing to be an involved member of the community.
Wishing you all a healthful and happy New Year,
Nancy
Click on the links below or scroll down for this month’s topics:
- PPS Calendar News
- Palisades Preschool Statement of Values
- With Appreciation
- New Year’s Wish List
- Applications for Returning Families
- In the US Department of Education’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study
PPS Calendar News
An Afternoon with the Teachers
The first of four meetings planned during the next, few months will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 19th (please note date change) from 1:30, to 2:30 p.m. in the Rosemary Room. The Rosemary and Cherry Blossom teachers, studio, teachers and pedagogistainvite Rosemary families to share observations and questions. Teachers will present a recent piece of documentation to provoke dialogue about the, image of the child, the image of the teacher, and the role of documentation in shaping, curriculum. Jan. 19th Stay & Play is offered free of charge to parents who attend the, meeting.
Parenting Meeting with Susan Stone, MFT
Looking for some new language and strategies to help resolve conflicts in the home environment—grocery store, doctor’s office, or grandma’s house?!! Susan Stone will be at PPS on Friday, Jan. 14th to share her expertise as a parent educator—and as a parent. The discussion will also include a refresher course on setting limits with children—the popular topic from last year’s meeting with Susan. Please RSVP to Karen by Wed., Jan. 12th.
Preschool closed on Monday, Jan. 17th for Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Book Talk
Have you read Ellen Galinsky’s new book, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs? In response to several parents who expressed the wish to form a PPS “book group,” we are adding this possibility to our Jan. calendar.Nancy invites you to join her on Friday, Jan. 21st from 9 to 10 a.m. in the Library to share, reflections about the first two chapters of the Galinskybook (Focus/Self-Control and, Perspective Taking).
PPS California Pizza Kitchen Day
Following 12:30 dismissal on Friday, Jan. 21st, have lunch—or dinner—at our local CPK and a percentage of the profits will be donated, to our preschool!! Please look for the CPK flyer later in January. Parent/Teacher Conferences—Friday, Jan. 28th Research—and our own experience—tell us that the parent-teacher relationship is one of the key elements, contributing to children’s success in school. Teachers in each classroom are engaged in, ongoing reflection about children’s growth and learning and are creating authentic, documentation of each child’s learning experiences at PPS. In addition to sharing their, observations via the Desired Results Developmental Profile, teachers will also take, advantage of the conference to present children’s Individual Portfolios. While learning in, all of the domains (social-emotional, cognitive, and physical domains) does not occur in, isolation, teachers will focus the discussion primarily on social and emotional, development at the Jan. conference. The preschool will be closed on the 28th, but child care will be offered during the time of your conference. Conference sign-ups will be, available on Tuesday, Jan. 11th.
Palisades Preschool Statement of Values
Please stop in our entryway and take a close look at the PPS Statement of Values that now welcomes each person into our school. Special thanks to our studio teachers for their role in creating this very beautiful affirmation of who we are and why we do what we do. Extra-special thanks to Valeria Vacchi for her artistic vision and dedication to this very important project. The statement reads:
Welcome to Palisades Preschool, a diverse community of children, families and educators connected by a shared system of beliefs and values concerning the development and education of
young children.
- We embrace an image of each child as a curious, creative and competent member of the community.
- We trust children to be the architects of their own learning.
- We affirm children’s right to express their ideas and theories through a wide variety of experiences and materials.
- We value families as partners in the care and education of children.
- We appreciate the role of culture in shaping children’s development
and learning. - We honor the role of the teacher as a co-researcher.
- We consider the environment to be an additional teacher, provoking and supporting both children’s and adult’s learning.
- We document explorations and projects with the intention of promoting a better understanding within the community of children’s ideas, theories, growth and development.
- We believe that collaboration is an important aspect of participation and seek to encourage a collaborative spirit as an essential disposition among children and adults.
- We recognize that our community consists of a system of ongoing relationships between individuals, groups, materials, and environments…over time.
- “…We think of a school for young children as an integral living organism, as a place of shared lives and relationships among many adults and very small children. We think of a school as a sort of construction in motion, continuously adjusting itself. Certainly, we have to adjust our system from time to time while the organism travels on its life course.”
-Loris Malaguzzi-
With Appreciation
Our PPS School Board members join me in thanking those families who have already made their $400 Family Donation to the preschool. As a small nonprofit organization, we rely on tuition and fundraising as the primary sources of our income and the Family Donations make a significant difference in our annual preschool budget. According to the request you made in the PPS Community Agreement, Karen includes the $400 amount in your monthly tuition invoice. Thank you for your support of our program!
New Year’s Wish List
The Antal Family’s 2010 donation of a new MacBook computer has been a great help to us recently as the H/P laptop computers have begun to show signs of heavy use over the past 3 years. Thank you, Nimrod and Edith! We would love to receive or purchase more MacBooks this year and ask that you consider making a donation toward this goal. During the past year, your generosity has supplied the preschool with new digital still and video cameras and an Apple monitor that we plan to use when sharing documentation at our meetings. Special thanks to the Owens Family, the Rocca Family, the Lilling Family, the Chang Family and the Lin Family for your help with our technology needs.
Applications for Returning Families
We ask that all applications for returning children for the 2011-2012 school year be submitted to Karen no later than Friday, Jan. 28th. Our PPS School Board will meet this month to set the new tuition and fee amounts for the 2011-2012 preschool year and we will announce those amounts in mid-January. Applications are available in Karen’s or Nancy’s office. The Registration Fee for returning children will be due on March 1st, 2011. The June, 2012 tuition payment will be due on June 1st, 2011. New families will be submitting both the Registration Fee and the June, 2012 tuition payment in March, 2011. If you are considering a third year of preschool for your child, please consult with Nancy ASAP. Thank you!
In the US Department of Education’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study
Researchers found that kindergartners with a positive learning approach—as defined by persistence, emotional regulation, attentiveness, organization, and flexibility—made more progress in mathematics and reading through the 5th grade (Developmental Psychology, Sept., 2010).