Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/educating-the-educator/5019612/
“The child’s development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behaviors towards him.”Maria Montessori
Each day you step into your classroom you are faced with numerous challenges. Classroom management, child safety, curriculum and program requirements, portfolio assessment, and time management are just a few of the many obstacles you must overcome on a day-to-day
basis. Although they may be on an entirely different level, your students may be facing their own unique challenges. For example, you may have a student who:
• is unable to vocalize his thoughts and ideas clearly to peers and adults (e.g., communication)
• prefers to play by himself as he may not know how to initiate or sustain peer interactions (e.g., social/emotional)
• trips when walking or running, simply because he lacks basic coordination to perform these tasks successfully (e.g., gross motor)
• has difficulty manipulating small objects such as blocks, scissors, puzzle pieces, crayons, etc. (e.g., fine motor)
• is not learning skills and concepts at an appropriate rate for a child his age (e.g., cognition)
• is unable to perform age-appropriate self-care tasks such as toileting, washing and drying his hands and face, feeding, etc. ...