There is only so much one can handle at a time. With teaching, I didn't think I would be able to balance it all... But I've found myself at a place where I can. Yet there are those days that you are just trying to keep your classroom in order in the midst of multiple different challenges with children, you pause, and start to doubt your abilities and wonder if you have been doing it the right way all along. I find in these times that it is only healthy and simply a vital reflection time that is necessary to go to that next level as a teacher. To examine yourself and the way you run the classroom. If this process fails to happen, then you will find yourself stagnant, at a place where you need challenge and change for growth to occur.

Here is a glimpse of what this balance entails...

While in the classroom, a teacher must:

Make sure everyone is safe at all times
Know who and how many are in the classroom
Give one on one facilitation for conflict resolution and problem solving
Depending on what center your in at the time- serve snack (not a simple packaged one, but a full on home made from scratch healthy snack that the children help make) watch all doors, refill supplies like paint, help children who have accidents, water the gardens if your outside, and a number of other things.
Problem solve when one child hurts another
Keep consistency and flow of children coming in and out of the room
Greet parents
Check in with parents
Facilitate the Childrens play, ask open ended questions, make your perspective their own so that you can see through their eyes, help them engage in activities if they are distracted, listen as they tell you stories, comfort the ones who are sad
Disengage in power struggles as children will try to test your limits at different stages, as they explore anatomy.
Read stories
Follow through with children who have not cleaned up
Be aware of each child and how they normally are to prevent unseen sickness which can cause them to act out
Observe the children to track their development and emerging skills
Write up incident reports for the ones who get hurt
Never loose sight of the passion which causes you to guide their discoveries
Be aware of their abilities to challenge them but not to give them something they cannot achieve which will cause discouragement
They list may go on... That is all I can think of for now!


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babies

Magda Gerber... her philosophy changed my perspective on babies. It is incredible and I will be following it when I have babies! If you have a baby or are pregnant... look into her books!



http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSHicQMmi0Q9BkTWlEcarzLnqQ5Qq7drmbpSWUHUmpizjW46lqPBg


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http://www.rie.org/

skin

http://tbafblog.com/2010/11/great-skin-you-now-have-a-choice/