Observing
Communication
I
observed teacher communicating with a kindergarten student during recess. One of the bilingual students went to a
teacher on duty to tell her someone had pushed her on the slide. This teacher did not realize the child spoke
limited English. Unfortunately, the
teacher did not take the time to listen or even try to understand the
situation. The little girl walked off
with a sad look on her face.
I
have noticed that this happens more often than not. I am even guilty of quickly trying to resolve
problems and move on. I have learned
throughout my Walden courses that this form of communication or lack thereof
becomes very ineffective. An educators need
to take the time to listen and be respectful to our little ones. They need to be heard. We need to be a role model for proper
communication in order to build a child’s self-confidence and self-worth.
In
the above interaction, this child most likely felt as if their problem was not
important. In addition, she may have
felt that the adults she trusts did not want to help her. As a mom myself, I have learned children are
very perceptive. Our tones and reactions
with children leave an impression – positive or negative. As a result, children will learn to act they
way they have observed the adults around them.
I
believe this teacher should have taken a moment to find a student or teacher
that could interpreted for the little girl.
This information would have helped the teacher be more empathetic with this
child. She could have reassured her that
she understood and help her feel better.
Furthermore, the teacher probably should have taken the time to visit
with both students and help them resolve the pushing issue. Over the past year, I have noticed I tend to
do the same thing – “fix” the problem and move.
Unfortunately, I am not truly correcting the issue. I am just pushing it aside. This reaction may have shown my students that
I do not care. On the contrary, I care a
great deal, but I have been ineffective.
In
conclusion, I think this would be a great topic to discuss with my students
using persona dolls. Persona dolls help children in the following
ways: they help children consider
feelings, ways to help others feel better about themselves, and dealing with
conflicting opinions; they support
children in considering fair ways to share and get on with each other; the
dolls help children to learn positive attitudes and challenge negative
attitudes and stereotypes; and they are a fantastic way to help young children
develop empathy for others, be inclusive and to think critically (Persona Doll
Training, 2009). I hope to begin
including persona dolls in my classroom.
I use a panda bear named K.B. (short for Kinder Bear). The children love when I use him for
instructional purposes. I need to expand
my collection.
Reference
Personal
Doll Training (2009). Retrieved from
