It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

Here's a review I think I may frame!

Dear DJ, 

As I am reading your book  in my spare moments at work, I want to jump up and down because it explains so well my philosophy and belief in how Early Childhood Education should be done.  I had the privilege of working at a preschool the past 25 years that also believes in DAP and nurturing the  whole child in an environment where the teachers are the facilitators and the children are the leaders of the play.  We were one of the first in Kansas City to receive NAEYC accreditation and participated in the pilot program for QRIS, receiving a 5 star rating...You describe DAP so well in an easy to read, enjoyable way.  I want to carry it around and give it to everyone I meet and say ”ditto” on everything in this book. J  Thank you for spreading the message so well, keep up the good work.

Something To Do When "There's Nothing To Do!"

"Only boring people get bored, and baby, you aren't boring!" That was my mom's reaction to my complaining I had nothing to do.  She would promptly follow that up with some random chore ("if you are THAT bored, go clean out the cabinet with the pots and pans.")  It didn't take too long for me to come up with ideas on my own!

In case you need a little help with ideas today (It's a snow day here in Baltimore), I thought of something we do in the preschools that would be fun with your children.  Now, fun is a relative term.  You will need to be present in the beginning of the activity in order for it to succeed. If you do this activity while stir-frying or tweasing your brows, this may not be as fun.

Make a discovery pile with 5 random objects ( for example, pillow, umbrella, computer mouse, box of tissues and a picture frame.)  Use those objects to generate creative thinking games.

Completely random picture frame showing off
 my family in our early years.  :) 

Invite your children to tell a story that uses all of these items in the plot.  See how creative you can be!

Layout all the items, have them shut their eyes while you remove one, and then guess what’s missing.

Give your children play dough or clay and ask them to re-create one of those items.

Practicing wrapping the items (make sure you have plenty of recycled paper and tape!) and surprise each other with a “gift”.    

                         

One last idea:  Invite your children to pick one item, then come up with as many alternate uses for it.  (Remember the prop game from Whose Line it is Anyway?)

Note: After you try one of the ideas, keep the items together so the children can play with them.  Much of the learning occurs when they are able to come up with ideas on their own.  Just keep an ear out for their comments while you are busy doing something important, like, maybe, organizing the pots and pans.

NAEYC update!

So, DJ, how was the conference?  OMG!  I’ve been so busy with Thanksgivukkah, (the once-in-70,000- year-collision of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah) I never sat down to write about that week!  So much to catch up on, so little time!

For me, the highlight of my conference experience was the number of new friends I made walking through the expo.  First and foremost, I was thrilled to see Judy Mcguinn and Jay Lerman from Discount School Supply.  They’ve added some awesome new product lines and still have the same level of great customer service!  Did you know they have a huge line of products for children with special needs, too?  www.discountschoolsupply.com

I met Jonathon Freiden from Constructive Playthings. What a great guy!  They are committed to great customer service, and did a great job working with one of my directors right then and there. Never too busy to chat, Jonathon wants to help our schools, and encourages feedback about products and services. www.ustoyco.com.

I found such wonderful puzzles and fun games at ToutAboutToys. Linda Kahrs and hubby seek only the best open ended materials for their company.  They told me they are a small organization that wants to be your one-stop shop for school materials.  Check out their site to see what they have!  I spent lots of time (and money) in their booth, but loved what I found!  Check out this magnetic toy board.  www.ToutAboutToys.com

I fell in love with some new ideas for the classroom.  Kore Design has wobble chairs, which are great for helping wiggly people focus.  I WANT ONE!  Check it out! www.korestool.com

Joe Bonner at Happy Child has a wonderful new way to store nap mats.  I loved the idea.  Wish I had a school.  www.happychildproducts.com, use the code NAEYC2013 to get a 20% discount.

The folks at Community Playthings now have an outdoor shed that is awesome! www.communityplaythings.com/products/outdoor  OK, so it’s $3100, but hey, it comes with crates and a wheelbarrow!

If you have never been to a NAEYC conference, you owe it to yourself to go.  The next annual conference will be December 5-8, 2014 in Dallas, Texas!  I look forward to seeing y’all there!

Like and Share, Like and Share

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind.  Between publishing the book, walking the Komen 3 Day 60 Mile walk in Atlanta, and closing on my house, its been crazy! Add that to the regular 9-5, teaching two courses this semester, and face painting on the weekends.  Yeah, I've been a busy girl.

But I still had time to learn a little something.

Like. and Share.  Two words I've tried to instill in my sons over the last 25 years are now being taught to me. By a marketing guru no less.  Here's how it works.

If all my friends who read my posts hit like, then Share that post with their friends, asking THEM to Like and Share, I will amass great numbers of likes, and will, one day, be called by ELLEN's producers to "come on in and share your message with the world."

And what exactly IS that message, you wonder?  
Ah, that answer is on the next blog.  Until then, you know what to do!
See the  icons below? Just Like. and Share!


Thanks!

Replacing Letters of the Week with Real Learning

Here's another snippet from my new book, Monday Memo: Creating Change in Early Childhood Education, One Message At a Time. 

As we  discussed,  this year will be about building relationships  and implementing developmentally appropriate practice. We  connected the research about how children  learn with the importance of being intentional teachers.  Some of what  we discussed was new to you.  During our discussion of the Vermont standards for kindergarten  readiness, we noted that decoding (reading) and writing are not required skills for four year olds.

 

The amount of time used for teaching letters and sounds can now be used to offer free time experiences that increase their independence,  i.e. getting dressed, communicating  their needs, caring for each other,  problem  solving skills, etc.  You can also  use that time to allow  the children to explore interesting materials that people bring into the classroom.

 

Remember  when we practiced setting up materials in an intentional  way to get the children interested?  Jacquie and Jenn sorted rocks and put them in glass baby food jars. They displayed the jars on a mirror to offer a visual appeal. Then they took a few big shells and placed some small rocks in one and larger rocks in the other. Next to the rocks they placed a magnifying glass. They told us their intent was to encourage the children to explore and maybe sort the rocks by size. We all agreed that this display was much  more interesting than the red bowl of rocks that they usually have sitting in the science area.

 

Developmentally  appropriate practice  and child centered learning  have been  proven  to be excellent  ways to teach children.  This combination  of the constructivist  and sociocultural theories  tells us to create  experiences  that allow children  to construct  meaning. Giving children  ample time to have these experiences lets them  share what  they  are learning  with their peers. The  role of teacher  as facilitator  means  you “guide” learning  experiences, not “teach knowledge.”

Want more?  Order your copy of Monday Memo today at Amazon.com! 

Where's your copy?

"I have an autographed copy and it's such a wonderful book.  Everyone needs to keep this on their desk, on their nightstand--somewhere close to you!!"

Thanks, Pam!  I'm so glad you are enjoying Monday Memo!  

To get your copy, go to www.monday-memo.com.

From Done to Done-r: The Road to Amazon.com

You may remember this post on Facebook and Twitter not too long ago:

Ahhhh! The book is DONE! DONE I tell you! And yes, I'm crying. Bet you would, too, if you were in labor for 28 months and delivered a 182 page baby. 

That's right! Monday Memo: Creating Change in Early Childhood Education, One Message at a Time is DONE! I shouted it at the top of my voice from my living room, I sent texts to friends using lots of !!! and :)), and I told anyone who answered their phone that finally I. Was. Done! I accepted everyone's praise and congratulations, knowing that I'd finally met one of my biggest life goals. Then I took out my To Do list, created back in the fall of 2011, to see what I could start on next. 

(But I didn’t quite understand what done meant/when done was really done.)

About an hour after my post, I received a message from my publisher, telling me that there were big problems with the layout and that we needed to make some changes before it could be ready for the printer. 

And then there were problems with the hand drawn cover art. 

And then there were 12 days of final design changes, last minute re-wording, and a few finishing touches. And then finally I finished my book a 2nd time. 

I woke up last Saturday to the following email. 

From: Publisher

To: DJ 

Your book was officially born at 7:45am eastern time. Proofs are ordered. Regards.

Whoohoo! NOW I have a book. NOW I can cry again and email my family who will whoo hoo right on cue. 

And now that its finished (again), I wait. And wait. And wait. The wait is driving me crazy. 

From Monday Memo: A Note To Teachers

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi

A teacher who read a preview of Monday Memo told me she wished the book was already published and that her director had the chance to read it. Her concern what that since she was “only a teacher”, she wasn’t able to make real change in her school.

Hogwash.
This memo is for you.

Dear Teacher,

You are one of the most important pieces of the preschool puzzle. You are the one re- sponsible for keeping a schedule, maintaining order, scaffolding learning and setting the tone of your classroom. You are the front line when it comes to the parents. If it weren’t for you, the directors would be giving tours of an empty school.

All of us deserve to work in a place that respects children and gives them the absolute best early childhood experience. If you feel your program needs some work, don’t back down or give up.

You have the right to work in an environment that reflects joy and learning.

You have the right to professional development that is specifically geared to you and your needs as a teacher.

You have the right to be seen as a competent teacher who is capable of making the right decisions for her students.

You have the right to have co-workers who are professional, collaborative and equally passionate about early childhood education.

However, before your fight, understand that with those rights come responsibilities. Before you point your finger at your director, take a moment and look at yourself.

You also have responsibilities.

You have the responsibility of making your classroom a space that reflects joy and learn- ing.

You have the responsibility to teaching children according to their individual needs.

You have the responsibility of seeing your children as competent and capable of making choices about their interests.

You have the responsibility to seek professional development to help you become a teacher who can deliver numbers 1-3.

You have the responsibility to be a co-worker who is professional, collaborative and equally passionate about early childhood education.

You should have a vision of excellent early childhood education.  (If you don’t, email me. You can borrow mine until you create your own.)

Decide now to create the best possible classroom you can. Read everything you can, find like minded people, ask questions, go to conferences, join ECE lists serves, but don’t, under any circumstance, allow yourself to do less than what you know is right for children just because your director isn’t up to speed yet.

Decide now that you don’t need all new materials, better carpets, sleeker furniture and smart boards before you can have a wonderful program.

Decide now to avoid excuses like “I can’t do this until my coworkers do.” Stop waiting for others to do what’s right for children.

Decide now to become an excellent teacher. We are counting on you. 

With utmost respect,

DJ Schneider Jensen 

Don't Change Your Plan, Change Your Marketing!

My new book, Monday Memo: Creating Change in a Early Childhood a Education, One Message at a Time, (www.rockingrventures.com), is written in memos: to teachers, parents, friends, etc. Below is an except, written to a fellow director.  I wonder if you see yourself in this message?  

September 29 

Dear Beth,

I feel so badly about the challenges at your school. Whenever there’s change, there’s fear and anxiety. Your staff and families are not upset at you; they are simply concerned about the unknown and need more information.

You told me that the parents expect academic results. My parents here have that same concern. All parents want what is best for their child. My response? Give them the best. Show the parents academic results. Document what the children learn when they collaborate on a project. Identify the counting, sorting and one-to-one correspondence, addition and other math skills they learn as they play grocery store. Make sure parents understand that the teachers also have academic goals for the children, and organize the environment with those goals in mind. Don’t change your plan, Beth. Change your marketing.

Share stories of success. Use successes to show parents not only WHAT the child learned but HOW the child learned. For example, don’t let a teacher send home Bobby’s blueprint of an airport without an explanation. Have her explain that while he was drawing it he was retelling the story of how he and his mom were snowed in at the airport for an entire day. Connect the memory to the drawing, and point out that he labeled all the restaurants and the bathrooms. Explain that labeling is graphic representation, a precursor to writing.

Beth, you know as well as I do that running a school has its ups and downs. Downs happen when we forget that our teachers and parents are as valuable as our children, and we take them for granted or view them as the enemy. Stay connected with your teachers. Meet with parents on a regular basis. You will win this school, I assure you. Go Beth!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's a Book!

After 28  months, my new book Monday Memo: Creating Change in Early Childhood Education, One Message at a Time, is finally complete!  And man, this thing is really cool!

My wonderful publisher, Rocking R Ventures has charged me with the challenge of posting excerpts from the book on a regular basis.  Today I start with the cover.  Maybe tomorrow you'll get the acknowledgements. :)
 

Monday Memo is the story of a year in the life of a preschool director as she struggles to move her new school from their “teacher-directed-thirty-minute-circle-time-everybody-listen-do-as-I-say-letter-of-the-week-craft-and-worksheet” approach to one that uses developmentally appropriate practice and views the child  as competent and capable.  The  challenges she faces are the same as yours: teachers who are not on board, parents who are trying to understand the change, and, of course, the typical day to day firefighting just to keep her school running.   Written solely in letters: to the teachers, the parents, friends and family, Monday Memo offers  insight into a director’s struggles, and models responses that foster change.  Fun and relevant...You’ll refer to this book over and over .

Pretty cool, right?  Told ya!

Do me a favor and share this post with a friend.  Let's make Monday Memo              so popular that Ellen DeGeneres has no choice but to bring me on her show.  I've been practicing my dance moves all summer for this.   I'm ready!