Your Feedback on Books, Boredom, Belfast and the Bus

"It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark." - Howard Ruff

Your Feedback on Books, Boredom, Belfast and the Bus

You never know which messages in ExchangeEveryDay are going to prompt responses.  In recent weeks we have had a wide variety of feedback on different topics.  Here is a representative sampling...

On "Selecting Books to Read Aloud"
Jane Heider, Mary Elizabeth Day Care, told us about how one of her teachers made up a story:  "It was a progressive story.  The children helped her create it in a week.  She told it off the top of her head for years and the older children even reminded her if she forgot a part!.  She described it in such detail and with such expression, she did not even need one picture or a book."

Sydney Gurewitz Clemens:  "Why do I nowhere see on this list 'Books with wonderful stories that challenge our hearts and minds?'  Focus upon the mechanics is not the way to bring children to want to read.  It is wanting to get the stories out of the books that is the primary motivation for reading!"

On "The Benefits of Boredom"
Lorrie Hall:  "Thank you!  Thank you!  I've been saying this for about 20 years, but I was just a lowly teacher.  I have always resisted planning the whole day for children because I felt it was important for them to figure out for themselves what to do at least part of the day.  If that meant being bored than great -- that would be motivation to try something new with what they had, or to play with a different child than usual.  I've never had a problem with this except for my own 16 year old who still thinks that it is my job to entertain her."

On "Join Us for Working Forum Belfast"
Edna Ranck, Westover Consultants:  "I think this may be the best thing you have ever done!  Congratulations on being where the rubber hits the road."

Nancy Marston:  "I am delighted you are meeting in Belfast!  I've visited a number of times, and our son spent a year there in college.  I've also been associated with the American Ireland Fund and the Global Citizen's Circle, both organizations providing funding to a number of social and community projects.  Belfast, as you are aware, has become a mentor to many other projects across the world."

On "Cooking with Preschoolers"
Alice Honig:   "I need to tell you that just BECAUSE preschoolers are struggling to learn transformations is the reason that cooking is WONDERFUL with kids!. See Marion Blanks excellent from research about 20 years ago. If you make chocolate pudding with kids and they stir and stir and the powder plus milk turns creamy and smooth and pourable,and then ask the preschooler HOW did this look Before we began?" and the child cannot remember too well, Then have another packet of powder just ready to show the preschooler.  Only by hands-on work and the delight of cooking can kids start the rich learning of transformations! So my advice would be really to do lots of activities, such as breaking eggs in a bowl, whipping them with milk, cooking them gently in a electric griddle for lunch and talking lots about the transformation from liquidy glop to yummy solid eggs to eat."On "Get the Right People on the Bus"

Jim Olson:  "As a former director 25+ years (now burned out) I  had to reply to this one.  I do agree that people are the key to the success of any organization and in child care we certainly know that.  Also we do need to do more to develop people and hire year round, not just when we lose a child care worker but I've never seen a budget that would allow that. I agree than non-performers are detrimental.  But to hire 5 people, work them like 10 and pay them like 8?  No, no, no.  We've been hiring 5, working them like 10 and paying them like 2 forever.  Shouldn't our goal be to hire 5 people, work them like 5 and pay them like 5? I'm curious about the reaction of others."On "Giving Advice Unhelpfully"

Bob Gallagher, Heartland Head Start:  "I don't necessarily buy into this 100% but it makes sense on one level.  Sometimes when we are at an impasse within our group or even within ourselves, a suggestion may open the door to opening the mind. The suggestion provided may not be 'the answer' but the suggestion provided shows that there are alternatives!
"However, if one is emotionally immature (low EQ) and not able to see a suggestion as 'a suggestion,' that fact can create a major problem and in those cases, how the suggestion is communicated and who the suggestion is coming from can make all the difference in the world.  In the case of children, some are open to suggestions and some are not.  Again it is dependent on their own personal level of development. Some will prefer the guidance and mentoring and some will prefer to figure it out on their own.  How they respond or act to help or suggestions will be determined by their developmental abilities."

To view these past editions of ExchangeEveryDay, go to our home page at www.ChildCareExchange.com and click on "View past editions."