Creativity Counts – Use your imagination, some artistry, and some literacy learning to give your community a name. Use alliteration, rhyme and humor.  Some I’ve seen were Mrs. B.’s Bees, Miss Katie’s Kangaroos, the Big Twos (in comparison to the Little Twos who did not turn three during the program year) Mr. Drake’s Ducks (and they quacked wherever they went in a wonderful line of loud four-year-old ducklings), The Pre-K Palace, (“Where We Act Like Kings and Queens”), and The 3 Amigos, a class of bilingual three-year-olds.  If they are ready, let the children vote or have input on class names and mascots.  Put up signs on the classroom door, and use the name in program newsletters, take-home calendars and memos (“News From the Twos!” or “What’s Buzzin’ with the Bees!” or “A Royal Announcement from the Palace!”).

And a personal note from me – NO APOSTROPHES IN PLURAL NAMES, PLEASE!                  IT’S TWOS, NOT TWO’S!!!!!

Community Work Works – Engaging the community in small whole-class projects to build skills in problem-solving, fitness, and creativity can also develop the spiritual skills of empathy and service to others. These can be planned or spontaneous.  If a child cannot find his pacifier, ask the community to help in the search.  If a ball gets stuck on the roof or in a tree, ask the community for suggestions on how to retrieve it.  If the class is studying oceanography, let the community create a big mural to display outside the classroom.  If the playground needs cleaning, the garden needs weeding, or the baby class needs its crib sheets folded, ask the community to lend a hand. 

Engage the community in big projects.  Whole-program projects done well can build skills in all curriculum areas. A canned goods collection drive in which each class participates allows the children to build skills of Mind (cognition, language-literacy, math, science, and social studies) as the children plan and talk about the event, ‘read’ labels and make signs, count cans, and learn about where the foods come from and how they’re grown, who needs the food and why it’s needed.  It builds skills of Body (health, gross and fine motor) as they lift and stack the cans and learn about nutrition.  It builds Spirit skills (self-awareness, expression, family, and humanity) as they involve their families and learn about the needs of others and how they can help.

Engage the community in developmentally appropriate competitions among other classes in the program.  Healthy competition is NOT a sin in early childhood programs as long as the emphasis is on the WORK, NOT THE REWARD, there are no big prizes and no big time winners and losers. It’s not about who collects the most cans, it’s about the community having a shared goal, practicing empathy, and making an impact on others.

A Final Word on Community – Build a community of learners by making sure that teachers participate in the work and play as equal community members with special responsibility and privilege.  Obviously, teachers must be present during all parts of the day for the purposes of safety, but they must also take an active role in play and work and not be detached from the action at any time.  Instead of doing paperwork, teachers must be involved in Center Time or whatever you call that time when children are free to work/play/explore in the Learning Centers. 

At meal and snack times, teachers must sit with the children and carry on conversations and discussions, rather than acting as waiters.  You must be actively involved on the playground rather than merely watching the children play.  There are no coffee breaks in the preschool day.  There are rarely even bathroom breaks! 

I went to visit a classroom of Threes one time and for the entire four hours, neither teacher in the community carried on a conversation with a single child!!!  They gave instructions, told the children what to do and WHAT NOT TO DO, but there was not a single moment of active listening or personal conversation.  I was appalled, because these teachers were nice ladies who seemed to like kids, but had no clue that their lack of being an active part of the community of learners was a BIG detriment to the efficiency and excellence of the “teaching” they thought they were doing so well. 

Remember that the community of learners should also include the administrative, clerical, maintenance staff and enrichment instructors too!  Some of the greatest learning moments I’ve seen happened when the children celebrated the janitor’s birthday marching to his mop closet with signs and cards to give him hugs!

Teachers of young children need to know the difference between “leading” and “lording”, between supervising and bossing, and between a child-centered and a teacher-centered learning community.  The more often teachers are involved in play, in conversation, and as active listeners, questioners, and resources, the more the children feel the spirit of teamwork and community, and the easier it is to reach the mission of high quality learning.

Next blog:  Educational Safety – Teachers Make the Program!