Physical Requirements for Early Childhood Professionals

While I was teaching my class of early childhood curriculum students today I made someone giggle...well actually today was filled with giggles for some reason...but something I did was apparently surprising to one student in particular.  I was demonstrating what not to do when teaching their first lesson in their practicum...so I assumed my traditional teaching position, "criss-cross applesauce", except so they could see me I was on top of a table...which I guess my agility and grace was shocking.  

After class, my head was spinning thinking about the flexibility and other physical skills that one must possess to work with young children.  Many job descriptions for early childhood positions 
mention the following physical demands:  occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling; some climbing and balancing; some stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling; and some fine finger dexterity. Generally the job requires 10% sitting, 45% walking, and 45% standing. 

I think we should keep it real and let people know what they are getting themselves into...here is my expanded list of Physical Requirements for Early Childhood Professionals:

1. occasional lifting--baby, toddler, chunky preschooler, Scholastic book order box
2. carrying--chunky preschooler from playground to classroom, stack of nap cots
3. flexibility--stretching to pat the backs of two nappers while their cots are regulation distance apart
4. stamina--Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes is easy...can you keep up with Tony Chestnut after the Bear Hunt?
5. ability to push your pain threshold--length of time until you can get to some headache medication on a rainy day when someone brings out the box of instruments...the day after a candy holiday
6. finger dexterity--ability to lead finger-plays, find the end of a skein of yarn, scotch tape, unknot shoe laces, and remove splinters
7. climbing--ability to climb on a chair in the classroom to reach something on a high shelf with ninja stealth so that you are not be seen by children
8. germ resistance--ability to stay healthy despite the dirty tissues in your pocket that do not belong to you
9. balancing--ability to balance an adult size rear end on a child size chair
10. standing--skill to stand upright after sitting in a child size chair or floor, more skill if you were holding chunky preschooler on your lap
11. eye sight--ability to read books in near darkness at naptime also handy in the detection of lice
12. alertness--need to remain upright and awake in near darkness while listening to the purring of children sleeping with an Enya CD playing in the background
13. urinary continence--ability to hold it until you can get to an adult size potty (if not--this requires an more flexibility and balancing talent if available potty is child sized)
14. medical knowledge--chicken pox or mosquito bites?

I am sure the list could go on and on...but if you really knew all the demands of working with young children would you still sign up?

Singing in the Rain

We are four weeks into the spring semester and it has been a wild ride thus far...strange weather and illness abound.  I am a little late posting...crazy days...but I began thinking about something from last week.

I live in Missouri and work in Kansas...in this part of the country one cannot think for a second that our weather can be...well normal.  Last week we started off a little warmer than normal for January but it was pleasant.  On Tuesday the craziness began...we started the day under a tornado watch...with some wind, rain and dark clouds.  When it was time for morning preschool to dismiss it was pouring...a real gully washer which prompted some children and adults to begin singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away."  This got me thinking...we as adults typically have a love/hate relationship with rain...we know that we need it but it is an inconvenience at times...I for one hate to get my hair wet in the rain or push a full grocery cart to the car in the rain.  But little kids...do they really hate the rain?  I think not...and I can list some reasons...

1.  Singing to the rain to go away is fun...therefore...rain is needed for a little fun.
2. If it rains you get to wear a shiny slick raincoat that might resemble a fireman's coat and green galoshes complete with bugged out frog eyes.
3. Umbrellas are cool!  Holding an umbrella as a child is such a thrill...even if you don't hold it over your head the whole time...you have to look to check if it is still raining every now and then.
4. Rain makes puddles and puddles make splashes.  Moms and teachers typically try to make children avoid puddles but it is just water after all...pants will dry.
5. Worms venture out after a rain.  Who doesn't like worms?  Well, I actually have a strong aversion to worms but I can contain my hatred of wiggly squiggly pink and brown non-arthropod invertebrate animals in the presence of a wide eyed child. 
6. Ever notice the sounds the rain makes?  To a child it sounds better...remember the song in Bambi..."drip, drip, drop little April showers" that is rain to the ears of a child.
7. Playing in the rain is a sacred forbidden activity...typically children will continue to play in the rain because it is fascinating...until an adult realizes they are out in the rain and calls them in to dry off, "before they catch a cold"...ruining all the enjoyment.
8. Children notice things about the rain that as adults we tend to overlook...the streams of rain in a gutter...the washing away of dirt...the smell of the rain.  
9. A rainy day in preschool means a different schedule...if we cannot go outside we do inside activities that are sometimes forgotten favorites that only come out on rainy days.  We don't pop in a video or turn on the tv...we use icky weather as a chance to get out activities and games for the children to enjoy...while learning.
10. MUD...no need to say more!

There is one aspect of rain that children and adults both seem to enjoy...the need to curl up and get cozy on a rainy day.

P.S. Our preschool week ended with blowing swirling snow.

Worms do not like snow.

My Favorite Things...

You can start singing the song from the Sound of Music or envision me as Oprah...but I do have some favorite things that have saved my sanity in the world of early childhood.  

Here are my top 4 favorite items that every early childhood professional should have access to:

1. Diaper Wipes--I don't care if you work with preschool age kiddos or kindergartners...diaper wipes are an amazing invention.  These wipes do much more than...well...wipe dirty bottoms.  Diaper wipes can be used to un-stick crusted boogies from noses...what I hate more than a snot streak on my pants from a preschooler hug is boogies that get stuck on my pants and then rip from the child's nose causing great pain.  I have used wipes on my shoes after playground duty.  They are great at the art center.  A must have on field trips for many reasons.  Got lunch on your shirt...diaper wipe it and it helps!  Plus you can get them in many varieties.  I love the new soft packs they are in now...I keep a pack in my car and use them for many things!
2. Sharpies--I love Sharpies...all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Sharpies have helped me make many materials for my kids--from games to nametags.  I have even replaced faces on Lego men with sharpies...we even ended up with a John Lennon look-a-like and some with angry eyebrows.  I also have labeled many children's coats and other belongings because some families miss this step.  I always try to remind my families...if you saw a great jacket on sale for your child...chances are others noticed the same sale and there will be more than one of those jackets floating around the cubbies.  
3. Hand Sanitizer--I know that not every program allows the use of hand sanitizer but these are non-child related uses for the wonder anti-germ gel.  I have used it to help remove the sticky from price tags and left over stickers.  I hate to admit it...but in a moment of desperation I dabbed some on a zit I felt beginning...and I swear it helped it not appear.  It does make me feel a little bit more in control of my own germ party to use it throughout the day in addition to washing...I prefer a nice scent and one that isn't too drying.  It is amazing the power of a fresh scent on your hands to help muffle some of the less pleasant smells associated with little kids.  
4. Clear Packing Tape--The sound of clear packing tape ripping off of a roll reminds me of so many moments in my preschool classroom.  In my first classroom we used a lot of this tape to adhere name spots to the carpet, attach labels to shelves, and to "laminate" small items in a pinch.  I prefer the heavy duty thick, more expensive, variety with the cutter on the roll...the big mechanical rollers only frustrate me when the tape gets tangled.  I will pass on a tip of either rolling down the loose edge so it doesn't get re-stuck to the roll or adding a large paperclip along the edge so you can find it again.  I have repaired many torn books with this kind of tape...even though my librarian friends would prefer I use a gentler library tape.  The only drawback I can see with this tape is the noise factor so you cannot get crazy taping things during nap time.

Back to School...Back to Reality!

Well the time has finally come...the welcome letters from my kids' teachers arrived today!  Being a teacher, I love back to school time.  I got so excited when the stores started stocking all the great supply items...I love the look...I love the smell...I love the idea of a new school year!  To me the year begins in August...not January.  I am looking forward to my school year starting up again next week...even with a week's worth of meetings it is an exciting time.

Here are my highlights for the semester:

1. I am teaching my favorite classes--FCS 390 Interacting with Children and FCS 490 Developmental Planning!  I also have interns, student teachers, and senior applied learning students.  I am also teaching FCS 571 Directed Readings--it isn't that I don't like this class but it is online and I don't get the real interaction with my students.
2. I am mentoring a new faculty member.  This means that I get to go to the new faculty orientation sessions next week--stuff I have already heard before but I still like attending because it gets you excited about the new year...and sometimes even though I am the mentor I will meet new people and learn new things.
3. My Developmental Planning course was selected to participate in a pilot project in which all 5 of my students (small class is ideal for this project) will receive an iPad to use for the semester.  My job will be to guide them in how to use iPads in preschool/kindergarten curriculum and planning.  This will be fun...especially since the students have no idea about the iPads.
4. I am up for promotion and tenure so I get to turn in my dossier this fall--October 12 to be exact.  Butterflies...nail biting... nausea...OMG!
5. I am presenting at the NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo this November in Atlanta.  This is a first for me and I am so excited and freaked out all at the same time.

Those are my planned highlights...I am sure there will be many adventures along the way...blog worthy adventures...I hope.

Things I have done for kids...

I was reminded the other day of a few incidents involving me, bats, and preschoolers.  I don't mean wiffle ball or baseball bats...but the furry winged rodent type.  This memory made me think of the things I never thought I would do...but I did...because of children.

 
Back to the bats.  On two different occasions I was able to capture bats to show to my preschoolers.  I am not a huge nature fan so capturing these bats was quite a step for me.  The bats that I caught were both "hanging" out on the ceiling of our covered patio on our playground.  I figured bats are creatures of the night and didn't belong there during the day.  I wasn't sure if I could "shoo" them away...so both times I trapped them in butter tubs.  Imagine non-outdoorsy me on a step ladder with a butter tub and a possibly rabid bat.  Putting the butter tub over the little critter was easy...it was the next step I had not thought through...how do I keep it in the tub while I turn the tub over?  Next step was a piece of cardboard slid between the opening of the tub and the ceiling...keeping Mr. Bat in the tub.  I quickly went to the kitchen (not sure licensing or sanitation would have approved) and I covered the opening with plastic wrap.  I wasn't too sure if the bat wouldn't freak out and claw its way out of the wrap but I did it anyways.  This way it provided a window for the kids to see a real live bat up close.  Did you know that bats do not like being in butter tubs with plastic wrap windows?  I know this because when I saw it up close it was hissing and wrinkling its little nose in protest.  I still think bats are kind of cool.  The first bat visited all classrooms and then was turned over to animal control...in case he was dangerous.  The second bat still visited all the kids...but we were a little braver...he was released to the wild by a fellow teacher...who returned with two lipstick "bite" marks on her neck...hahaha!

The next story isn't about bats but frogs and it happened during my student teaching semester.  I was student teaching in a first grade classroom and our science topic was amphibians.  How can I possibly teach about amphibians without a live frog...I truly believe in first hand...hands on experiences.  I talked my then fiance (now husband of 17 years) into catching a frog for me.  So one spring evening we went out with a bucket, a net, and a flashlight to a pond at a local park.  It looked like we were up to no good but I swear we were only after frogs.  My man quickly went to work hunting for a frog...and soon he scored a bullfrog.  He was really excited because it was a HUGE specimen.  He brought it over to me and I cringed...I had to pick this thing up at school the next day...I didn't think I could do it...so much to his disappointment he had to release the big one and capture a more manageable size of frog.  With a reasonable size frog in my bucket (along with a little pond water, some grass, and a rock) I was ready for the next day.  Did I mention it was to be one of my recorded student teaching lessons?  When it was time for science I shared a flannelboard of the life cycle of the frog and then it was time for the piece de resistance.  If anyone is thinking this is a great idea...it was but...I didn't think though all aspects of my frog viewing.  I had the kids sitting on a carpet around me...which worked well.  Against my better early childhood large group management knowledge I stood up when I was getting ready to take the frog out of the bucket so it would be in view of everyone.  The other thing I didn't think about was the fact the frog was slightly wet and now high above the floor.  I was a little nervous and possibly squeezing a little when the frog popped out of my grip...and landed smack on the forehead of a little boy with a buzz cut.  I can still see his face...the kids scrambled...the frog hopped...there were screams and laughs...and the video camera kept rolling.  I did pass student teaching and I think the kids learned a little about frogs.

A few other small things that I have done for or learned from kids that do not involve animals:

1. I have fake drank milk...I am not a fan of milk but given a carton and straw I can fake it.
2. I was a picky eater as a child so there were many things I never would try...until I had little faces watching me at lunch time...thanks to preschoolers I like broccoli, peas, and cole slaw, and beans now.
3. I learned if a child dressed as a doctor tells you to close your eyes...don't do it...at least keep one eye open or else you will end up with a popsicle stick rammed really far down your throat...and I cannot guarantee that it was a sterile popsicle stick.
4. I can will myself to stay awake while patting backs during naptime...with Enya playing...while on a drowsy formula of cold medicine.
5. Given enough Advil in my system I will get rhythm sticks out.
6. I will blow bubbles inside on a rainy day...we use the slippery when wet signs from the block area.
7. I will do the Spooky Walk in April.
8. I will read The Bear Under the Stairs (or any other good children's book)...again...and again.
9. I am not scared of fingerpaint, play doh, markers, stamp pads, or scissors like your parents are.
10. I will love and cherish all the coffee mugs...dandelions...and apple Christmas ornaments.

Summer is Here!

It appears that summer has arrived!  My academic year was great and very busy at the end.  By April we had word that our preschool program was officially accredited by NAEYC...a huge accomplishment for us!  My early childhood development students were busy with many great projects and I with grading...but alas it is finally summer!

This summer I have a few things going on--first our new house is being built and we are watching the progress each day--second I am teaching an online class in July (Lifespan Human Development--birth to death in 4 short weeks).  I hope my college students are busy with classes and gaining experience working with young children.  I am looking forward to opening the preschool in August with a new batch of kiddos and eager practicum students and student teachers. 

But in the meantime here are my hopes for the little ones this summer:

1. Popsicles
2. fireflies
3. wiffle ball games
4. wading pools
5. sandboxes
6. pinwheels
7. sprinklers
8. dripping ice cream cones
9. fireworks
10. baseball games
11. sticky sunscreen
12. dandelion necklaces
13. running in the summer rain
14. catching the following:  ladybugs, frogs, worms, crawdads, caterpillars, fish
15. honeysuckle
16. sidewalk chalk
17. muddy toes
18. blanket tents in the backyard
19. inner tubes, beach balls and water wings
20. lemonade
21. snow cones
22. driveway car/trike/bike/wagon wash
23. late nights
24. strawberries
25. family vacation or staycation

Journey to NAEYC Accreditation

I am writing this post exactly one week after our NAEYC Accreditation site visit.  I have come down off my adrenaline rush enough to make sense and I wanted to document our journey toward NAEYC Accreditation.

This journey began on June 14, 2009 when we received the letter confirming that we had officially enrolled in the Self-Study process with the NAEYC Academy.  Soon Kari (the lead preschool teacher) and I received our self study kit, a box of 11 workbooks.  We began reading through the criteria and evaluating where our program stacked up or fell short, where we excelled, and where we felt comfortable being right on target.  Kari and I met frequently and poured through the workbooks deciding what might need to be adjusted within our program.  This took a good deal of time because we had many jobs to focus on at the same time.  We successfully completed the self-study materials and was ready for the next phase.

Our next phase was to apply for candidacy.  The first task was to select a due date for our candidacy materials which would set the timeline for the whole process.  Our application was accepted on September 23, 2010 which set our candidacy due date as September 30, 2011.  During this year long time frame we compiled the evidence necessary to prove to NAEYC that our program was worthy of accreditation.  We organized this evidence in a program portfolio and a classroom portfolio...both housed in four inch three ring binders...brimming full.  Prior to our candidacy deadline we would receive access to our packet of candidacy materials to complete and submit.  Basically this step proves to the academy that we are compiling the portfolios and that all our ducks are in a row.  These activities were time consuming but it helped us see the good, the bad, and the ugly that still needed modification.  Our candidacy materials were mailed on September 21, 2011 and by October 17 we received word that our program was accepted as a candidate for accreditation.  This notification also opened our site visit window of October 1, 2011 to March 30, 2012.  Wow!  Winter break eats up a lot of that time frame.  We were pretty certain that our visit wouldn't happen during the NAEYC conference week because everyone would most likely be in Orlando.  So after conference passed we waited for the phone call that would announce our 15 day site visit window.

On a December afternoon I received a phone call from our chosen NAEYC assessor who set our 15 day site visit window--January 30-February 17, 2012.  Great...second week of preschool after the break and a perfect time period for a snow or ice storm.  We relaxed a little, it was nice to know it wasn't necessary to panic...yet.  We made final adjustments to the portfolios and anxiously awaited the call signaling our visit would occur the next business day.  We figured the earliest they would call would be Thursday, January 26 and when that day came and went without a phone call we knew we could enjoy that weekend without fretting over an impending visit. 

Then came Monday, January 30.  At approximately 8:00am while I was at the grocery store before heading to work the call came.  I am not sure what I must have looked like but I know I froze in place worried that I had nothing to write on.  It was an exciting moment knowing that the our site visit would occur the next day.  Instead of texting or calling Kari, knowing I was less than 5 minutes from arriving, I drove to work with that queasy feeling you get before delivering exciting news.  Without stopping by my office to put down my bags I opened Kari's door and simply stated, "Tomorrow."  I think she gave me the same look I must have made in the grocery store when the assessor called.  Wow, it is becoming a reality.

We spread the news to those who needed to know, ordered a parking pass, and reserved the conference room.  I emailed my Tuesday class to cancel and threatened Tuesday's lab students not to "call in" with illness or flat tires.  Portfolios and supplemental materials were in place on the conference room table before I left for the afternoon.  I ordered a good night's sleep and was ready to get this part over and out.

I arrived to preschool on Tuesday by 7:25am, that is an hour early for me (I drive 30 minutes to work).  Kari had been there since 5:00am, fearing that the custodian wouldn't show she cleaned and super prepped the room.  It looked awesome!  Bring it on!

Our assessor arrived early at 7:45am and quickly got to work with our pre-visit conference and checklists.  She was not scary at all and put us at ease.  Since we are a small program it was easy for her to stay ahead of her scheduled agenda.  Our closing meeting was originally scheduled for 2:15pm that time was changed to 12:30pm because our organized portfolios sped up the process.  Plus we only received one of the dreaded "MERFs"  (Missing Evidence Request Form)...the missing piece of evidence was in place within 10 minutes (an hour is given)--it felt like a beat the clock game show. 

Our closing visit was pleasant.  We went over many forms and procedures, watched her seal up the materials that would be sent to the Academy and by 1:00pm our assessor was pulling away from the preschool...it is at that moment that Kari and I took our first breath of the day.

Our construction theme border has a
hidden gem...it appears to be the
Village People...and yup...they are
doing the YMCA.

After the visit, Kari and I ran through many things:  We thought of things we wished the assessor has witnessed or asked about.  Did she like our materials?  What did she think about being outside to begin the session?  Was the bulletin board with the kid's drawings and predictions cool?  Did our storage room make us look like an episode of pre-K hoarders?  What did she think about seeing the Village People in our wallpaper border?

Now we wait...for up to 90 days...for the decision.  I hold my breath every time I open my email...no word yet...maybe tomorrow.