The best classroom management strategy is to like your students. It’s not a feeling. It’s a choice. Choose to see the best in them.
– Amy Fast, School District Superintendent

Amy Chiu, early childhood consultant with The Work of Play, recently shared this provocation on LinkedIn and graciously allowed me to share it with you:

This one is called, ‘Leave Your Ego at the Door.’

Some teachers make a lot of effort to create beautiful and aesthetic experiences for the children, from the classroom environment to Pinterest-worthy activities. However, if you have been around young children for a while, you will know that the reality is children will turn your idea of “beautiful” into a mess, or said in a different way, into their idea of “beautiful.” Let’s value that!

Picture-perfect does not capture the essence of children’s play and engagement. Ask yourself, “Who am I doing this for?”

Remember that at every turn we are modeling values to the children. Do they know they have permission to experiment? Are we only promoting following directions? Some of us also get triggered by mess. How can we overcome that so we can meet the children’s present needs? Thoughts?

Jim Greenman aligns with Chiu’s perspectives. In Caring Spaces, Learning Places, he wrote:

Potential for a collective sense of our place and a number of my places is important in children’s programs. Space with character, placemakers, and friendly or defining objects, will enhance those other elements that make houses homes: beloved familiar people, daily rituals, and the feeling, in both children and adults, that they can personalize the space.