theinfamousmissbeth

Sometimes, advertisements for early childhood teachers include the statement, must love children. While I suppose that is admirable, why don't the ads ever say, must appreciate children? For example, you must appreciate that infants learn through all of their senses.  This includes through taste. As in, every single thing that comes within their reach goes into their mouth!   A note: And you must appreciate they may even use that mouth to investigate another child's arm or even your shoulder! You must appreciate that even the youngest infant in your care needs to be talked with, sung to, held, rocked, and snuggled. Most importantly, their cries need to be answered. It's the way they communicate with you. You must also appreciate that even very young infants need to be free to move. Keeping children in swings, cribs, or an exer-saucer/walker contraption doesn't allow them to stretch, reach, roll over, scoot, crawl, pull up and "cruise" the fu

If you have ever been a classroom teacher you know what I'm talking about. For those of you that haven't been a teacher I will try and explain the phenomenon that I call "collecting crap." It seems to come naturally when you are a teacher. Every thing that passes through your hands or you find in the junk drawer or see sitting unused at someones house or see behind a store or shop "wants to be saved" just in case it can be put to some use in the classroom. Especially in preschool classrooms that are set up in learning centers. Those centers require a lot of stuff! I don't know if it's just me or not, but I seem to still have the urge to collect. Even though I have been out of the classroom for several years, I still find myself thinking, "This extra wrapping paper would look good on a display board or I wonder if anyone would want these bottle tops for a loose parts basket." So, one day while I was cleaning out extra office s