#Kinderchat Archive
#Kinderchat, glue, glitter, gogurt, bringing daily joy to twitter. Find us Mondays, 9 pm EST and 8:30PM London time when we talk all things Early Years!
Monday October 3, 2016
Well, Hi-de-ho yo! Time for How is everyone tonight?!
e!!! How are you?! I've got a purring cat on me so pardon any typos!! purrrrrr :)
a purring cat would be nice! It’s chilly here!
Hi! I have had a crazy busy day at a workshop in the big city and I had road rage at least 13 times.
Yay!! Hello!! We are so excited to have you here w us tonight!!
Hello friends! Things are good up here in the Canada.!
What was the workshop? Was it good? What did I miss?
They’re building 2 roundabouts between my house and my school. I understand road rage!
I am fine. Ready for my first with my new fancy phone :)
Grant research, Dancing with the stars, & . Best way to spend a Monday night!
Hi. Finally able to stay awake for .
It was Levelled Literacy Intervention. I'm always wary of publishers and their wares. But...
haaaaa!! I can see you counting off the times!! Experience road rage (thats 5!) :) All the way to 13?! :)
hi it's been a while... suffering from cabin fever due to
I'm from the country. I walk to school. I do not drive in rush hour. I am a baby. Today, an angry baby
Hello from the bc Rockies . If cats are our hello topic, I need advice on the zombie night yowlings of an aged cat . .
Hi there Lori! :) Late for some and early for others I hear you!! :) How was your day?
Been thinking about you, lady -stay safe down there!
angry baby driving a car- haaaaa love that!!
Courtney Wa will join in a bit after my meeting! Let's just say today was a Mon in my class.
Good day! Finally building my stamina. :)
Hi! Meg from Chicago; can’t make tonight, but please join me next week for our 1st book club! Info: https://t.co/WIwVF2SObe .
Lady, you are always welcome chez Amy and Freddy while you wait out rush hour!
"Meet and Greet" chit chat is an essential part of Say hello, share a funny story from your day, make a new interwebz friend! :)
so far so good! Fingers and toes crossed. And building battened down
zombie night yowlings?! Oh mine did that for awhile before she passed <3 <3 My Lucy girl!
Glad to know you’re safe though!
Carmen here from Arkansas. Checking out West World tonight plus
RT Hi! Meg from Chicago; can’t make tonight, but join me next week for 1st book club! Info: https://t.co/c8hIdWW5ul .
It takes so long I know!! Still only the first month of school in East Coast!
haha! Oh boy! Well goodby Monday!! Youre safe now! :)
Funny story? Things you can say at 5 that mean something very different when you’re 25- “I have handcuffs at my house!”
Kathleen from Edmonton here! Gummies in hand, Monday was productive and came roaring in like it don't caaaaare!
a cranky driving baby avatar?! Nice!!! :)
Greetings! It's Christina from Sacramento, CA. I'm an Early Ed teacher in a culturally & linguistically diverse district.
thank you. Hobbes needs to be brushed all day.
Hi! Jola from Oklahoma. Today was very...loud
A huge THANK YOU to for connecting and with us as was looking to connect w folks at
Please let's give a hearty welcome to tonight's special guests from
Yay!! Hello! We are so excited to have you with us tonight!! Welcome to
I have been known to go a LONG ways out of the way to avoid Deerfoot!
We had beginning bungie safety today as we went out to build rain roofs. Then we had to leave the knook cause of bears.
Oh boy we know that sound!! :)
WELCOME!! Thank you so much for joining us tonight!!
Mondays are hard on my head this year It’s like we’ve never been in a group before…
I have to go back tomorrow. I so stressed just thinking about it ;-)
Joining in for a while from San Marcos, Texas
Your life is so exciting. Also: took me a minute to realize you were NOT bungie jumping w/K.
Hello! Welcome!! We have special guests tonight from and Make sure to follow!
Also- HELLO MARDELLE <3 <3
Can you share with us a little more about as well?
Now that i think about it, we have had to cancel recess because of a moose.... Never a bear, though!
Me too! I just crossed axe throwing off the field trip list for Ks. Sigh.
saw the topic - couldn't miss -
See, this is the kind of stuff that doesn’t happen in PEI.
We are honored made time to be w us to help look at diversity, social justice in Early Years setting
Thinking of you Rachael!! Keep us posted!!!
EduColor works to elevate the voices of public school advocates of color on educational equity and justice.
I'd really love to do something with this- and make something together---- not sure what yet! :)
Not only is full of passionate educators, but also parents, writers, students, & anyone who is willing to do the work!
social justice is such an embedded concept with young children. Easily honoured, as easily bruised
Yeah, but you could have.... a lobster? On the playground?
So I just pulled some Qs together to get us chatting but lets not be constrained by them either- want to get us talking, sharing
Once there was a seal that swam up the river and got onto the playground at my kids’ school.
And because my kids were in French Immersion, they really had a good time telling that story!
we've had huge ground lizards that get very territorial
We are lucky to have a voice right from the start Canada, US, Jamaica together
A community is needed https://t.co/9IpwQ9iGpz
Not only is full of passionate educators, but also parents, writers, students, & anyone who is willing to do the work!
Ideally, at the end of chat, I'd love to have some type of actionable project lined up But first, let's start off w some Q&As :)
AWESOME! But first can we talk about Feminist Preschool? And would you ever host a ?
it was to me but Ps didn't think so
I was wondering more about that too! :)
confession: I thought you wrote “objectionable project” there for a moment.
I would love to explore bias in a larger and more in depth way-
Feminist Preschool teaches ECE how 2b inclusive in their classrooms.
Many might think that!! :)
One of the challenges in is the sharing of stories from many perspectives - often mono cultural in nature
I am not objectionable to objectionable projects ;-)
this is interesting, in 🇯🇲 we definitely don't see colour in the same way
RT : That study doesn't surprise me at all (sadly) but I'm so glad it's getting talked about so much. It matters.
Say more? Like how does a teacher share many persepctives as is one person w bias?
Q1 What issues have come up in your class or school surrounding social justice and diversity?
we have a lot of brown skinned (mixed) Ks and predominantly black and a few white
stories that are widely shared don't always show children of different cultural background. Ex- First Nations
our Ts are the same as the Ks.
how can I teach kindergarten in Jamaica. I need pictures
have been thinking of diversity from global sense too- different in US vs other?
A1: 1/2 When I first moved here 15 years ago, a “mixed marriage” in PEI was a Catholic married to a Protestant.
So your students see teachers who look like them? Not so true here.
in 🇯🇲, we have a bias towards certain Ks than we do to Ks of a particular colour.
A1 My Ss & families are immersed in these issues on a daily basis. They come up during conferences, classtime & discussions
A1 I'm 1 of 3 POC on staff in a school w/ 45% minority pop.Representation and relation to students is key
follow to see pics of our Ks
A1: 2/2- today I have students from China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan, and Canada. We’re in the thick of dealing with change
This is where is so unique in terms of global context of
RT A1: 2/2- today I have students from China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan, Canada. We’re in thick of change
we have a community to that has a great many Jamaican families come. Adding stories and voice becomes important
RT A1 I'm 1 of 3 POC on staff in a school w/ 45% minority pop.Representation and relation to students is key
A1 (cont)- my students don’t have a problem, sometimes adults might though
yes, the minority would be white Ts
Me too! I have lots of Canadian friends they remind me US isn't only America
Q2 What are the unique challenges of talking w very young children about concepts like historical and current injustices?
Also, I myself am an immigrant to Canada. https://t.co/D4hjaJWAxu
RT A1: 2/2- today I have students from China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan, Canada. We’re in thick of change
I have the opposite where it really comes up infrequently so I feel like I have to impose?
A2: In my privileged setting, parents are often very cautious about kids being upset by convos about injustice.
A2 The more complex an issue the harder it is to discuss with young children. Issues of race are complex. It can be done though.
A1: The city I work in was recently acknowledged as one of the most diverse, least segregated cities in the United States.
I think our problem in 🇯🇲 is dealing w/ Ks w/ varied needs
A2 having to explain to Ss why it's not nice to say certain things to peers. Things they've heard at home
And well-intentioned parents think teaching "colour blindness" is a good way to message race.
In my small, rural setting, I think the same
YES RT A2: In my privileged setting, parents avery cautious about kids being upset by convos about injustice.
A2 with First Nations Reconciliation, a very challenging topic, stunning, powerful, appropriate literature is available
Ps go into panic & can start stressing out Ts re these varied needs
RT And well-intentioned parents think teaching "colour blindness" is a good way to message race.
A2 Vivian Vasquez has some great work about critical literacy with pre-K kids that gets into social justice beautifully.
RT A2 w First Nations Reconciliation, a challenging topic, stunning, powerful, appropriate literature available
A2: An injustice to young students is that they weren't chosen to be at the front of the line. Big subjects are hard to grasp!
RT A2 Vivian Vasquez has some great work about critical literacy w pre-K kids that gets into social justice beautifully.
RT A2: injustice to young students is that weren't chosen to be at front of the line. Big subjects hard to grasp!
and the thing is kids notice diversity, then they are taught they are imagining things
a2: I think when we deal with each other as individuals, we begin to see all the diversity?
I have been thinking about this so much. How to address. It seems so daunting...
A2 I don't know if it's as hard as we make it. Most young children easily recognize the humanity in each other.
we have had Ps who don't want their Ks to talk about their colour
Q3 How can we teach about differences/similarities between people wo alienating or focusing in on particular groups?
Yes!! So hard to balance! Though I do love boiling down complex stories as simply as I can make! Fun!
A2 I think in my sphere, it's more backlash from parents and families that is feared
children are honest. chatting with Nepal, kids actually commented on how they all looked the same. It opened an important convo
Those of you feeling overwhelmed by this - that's normal! It is daunting. It can be scary. But young kids have thoughts on it.
RT children are honest. chatting w Nepal, kids commented on how they all looked the same. opened important convo
Can you say more? What kind? That it was talked about or not talked about?
Yes! And if we talk about eye/hair colour easily & naturally, but pretend all skin is same... kids notice!
adults are scared to talk about race, but our society supports this fear. It isn't the kinder teacher's fault
A3 We have pretty objective conversations about same and different. Is this too simple?
RT A2 I don't know if it's as hard as we make it. Most young children easily recognize the humanity in each other.
A3: Listening to kids in order to build off their questions and conversations is a good strategy (and likely a common one!).
A3: Teachers can address ways in which people are different & the ways we are the same, honoring individual and group identity.
This is the major dilemma I have!!
I don't think so- I usually just say "people come in all shapes, sizes, colors"
both. Ts are afraid to say the wrong thing, to offend families, open ourselves up to lawsuits or termination
A3: I think it's also important to help kids see that being different isn't bad. Too often we see similarities as good and so...
yes!! And they sense that fear and uncomfortable-ness. Important WE practice talking about it!!
first find elders, and go from there. It needs to be a shared story
My preK & K teachers now willing to talk about all the colours of skin. Has taken yrs of conversation.
This is a big opener for us in French Imm. Great concept for kids to grasp early on - same & diff.
Do many of your students think that different is “bad”? Most (all?) of mine have seemed to view difference as interesting
we need to recognize racism & sexism is supported by structure, not individual. We need up work on dismantling
And that we are ALL different! Hair, skin, eyes, size
A3 I think we welcome different people into our classrooms. We can't tell stories that aren't ours to share
Good point. If you can't talk as a staff, it's going to be tough beyond that.
Q4 How does the school calendar or celebrations support diverse student populations or show bias towards a particular group?
hair is a big issue in Jamaica & who has "good" (straight) hair 👀
different implies to me that there is a norm and a different vs ALL different. Subtle, but important!
How do we start, in our schools & classrooms?
A3: A big part of our social studies unit is about honoring the similarities and differences in all people.
A3: Here is where I rely on children's literature to help illuminate these differences and similarities in a sensitive way
Interesting--- say more here? I think there's a ton we can do in terms of storytelling......
I so strongly believe in the power of books to support this work. https://t.co/dESBlbSFWY
A3: Here is where I rely on children's literature to help illuminate these differences and similarities in a sensitive way
I agree. My point was, my students don’t look at each other as “bad”. They view each other as interesting.
a4 - I think calendar celebrations are where we get locked into a single story, but the potential for diversity is there.
Yes!! Though FINDING good quality stories w diverse rich characters not so easy
we start in daycare, but we also need to think about how ECE is structured, our society, how we treat parents.
(cont) Today we had a great talk on what language we speak at home. There was only acceptance
I think they're all curious and eager to learn more.
Oh yes!! Absolutely! I knew what you meant!! :)
Such is the wonder and joy of young kids! I fear adults send a different message sometimes.
Especially so early on in the school year. They don't even know each other.
it will take more that just educators at the classroom level. We need to do some work in regards to policy.
especially in a 3rd world country
Not easy at all! is doing great work in this area.
That's a fantastic conversation- so many kids don't share their "home" language in school. Just that is huge!
I'm only me, so I only know life from my POV. My BFF who is Mexican in heritage, has a different POV.
I have a list of children's books that address diversity/social justice if anyone is interested. DM me & I'll forward it to you
Fantastic!! I'll add it to our library!
I can't tell her story like she can, and Ss won't relate to us the same way
We’ve had SO MUCH change through immigration in such a short time, kinders have no problems. Adults? Hmmm ;-)
A school calendar driven by Christian holidays seems more and more archaic to me...
RT A school calendar driven by Christian holidays seems more and more archaic to me...
and so collab is key, using kids literature is necessary.
I was thinking about this in today's UK/Europe time chat- still not sure how to approach there! :) Tough!
in the process of restructuring how I do calendar, partly because of this
A5: I think in the coming year, I want to help families navigate through their feelings regarding recent events in the headlines
I told story last year of Dr King and kid caught my bias- I said "then everyone knew" or something like
I think it’s also important to remember different countries/cultures view this discussion from very diff lenses
A5: I work closely with parents, through home visits & parent education, and topics of immigration and police brutality come up
little girl said "No Ms Echternacht, you mean the white people knew- the brown always did!" <3
we have to really be careful at turning diversity into potluck. We can all be celebrated everyday!
It was cool! I thought I was doing great job- nope! :)
A5: Families always ask me how they can express/discuss these issues with their children. I definitely want to highlight this
1/2 The Canadian experience is different than the American one, which is different than the_____ one.
A5 I'd like to start with my staff/ school. Recognizing the biases within ourselves and how they impact Ss
Q6 What ways can we think of to work together to help increase awareness, action and resources?
Our sch calendar seems to just ignore all holidays and use "PC" Lang. Mayb an attempt 2 not risk forgetting a group?
Its sooo hard! Many deny and feign perfection of no bias- have to show its a PROCESS vs something to be perfect at
2/2 We all respond to each other based on our local paradigm. Racism exists everywhere, but it looks different
Are you in US or Canada Courtney?
Yes! And no one is immune. It takes hard, soul- wrenching work, but it is so worth it
A6: Resources is an interesting place to consider. Having lists of diverse books is basic, but useful. & ideas for these convos.
I think getting to know our students & engaging families. https://t.co/NBglztbQGg
Q6 What ways can we think of to work together to help increase awareness, action and resources?
What are some of the things you recommend for families?
A6: has a fabulous resource to help teachers navigate through social justice issues in classroom:
https://t.co/rDGbYavhWq
I think making them know your position from the get go is important.
A6: Be willing to have the hard conversations, to listen openly, and commit to changes in thought and action
1st step in fixing problem is admitting it. I made a bias statement, was called out...wasn't pretty
Please be sure to Thank our guests tonight and attend if you can!
I love the idea of building resources and also developing that storytelling aspect- I think there's something there
RT When is the next chat?
Thanks ! Looking forward to joining in in the future
chats are the last Thursday of the month (I think...) at 7:30 pm ET. (We just had one last week.)
Oh I like you! :) I will go back and read after the chat! Thank you so much!!
yes - literature is at the heart - finding, sharing . . .
RT chats are the last Thursday of the month (I think...) at 7:30 pm ET. (We just had one last week.)
last year I had a student who spoke Arabic and a student who spoke Mandarine. They had no common language…except for PLAY!
RT Thanks ! Looking forward to joining in in the future
So true! I've had to walk away from more than a few conversations with the willfully ignorant
Kids seem so much less bothered by lacking a common language! It never ceases to amaze me.
I think when we are open and accepting, it spreads to our students AND their parents. Have a wonderful week!!!
Listening is huge- HUGE! So underrated and used- don't have to say anything to encourage convo
RT I think when we are open and accepting, it spreads to our students AND parents. Have a wonderful week!!!
Right? Each day they had the biggest smile for each other. It was one of those things I will take with me
