Mindfulness and Purpose in Early Childhood Education

                                             Since 2013, this little blog has been my space to share ideas, reflections, and encouragement for those just starting out in early childhood education. My focus has always been on supporting new ECEs and students, and weaving mindfulness into the work we do with children. After more than a decade of writing, I feel like I’m all blogged out! While I won’t be posting new material here, the blog will remain available for you to read and revisit anytime. You’re welcome to keep exploring the posts, and you can also find more on my landing pages: Mindfulness in ECE and English for ECEs . I’m still very much involved in the field—I continue to teach ECE and English classes at my local college, and I also do consulting work. It’s been such a joy to connect through this blog, and I’m grateful for everyone who has read along over the y...

WHAT IS CROWDSOURCING? It's the process of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by getting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. (Wikipedia)   Keeping ideas fresh is important for ECEs, and staying on top of collective ideas in the field is easier now with online access to pages, blogs, groups, and feeds.  It's almost too easy, bordering on overwhelming, with a virtual sea of information out there.   If you would like to get connected to the community hub but feel lost on where to start,  bookmark some of these Linked In pages and groups (if you don’t have a linked in account, now is a good time to get one) as starting points to begin:   Linked IN Pages and Groups: Early Childhood Education Forum for Professionals and Parents Research in Early Childhood Education The Childcare Network Early Childhood Education Networks Early ...

  SMART GOALS SETTING IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE:   ·          It helps teachers think critically about what they want to accomplish within a set time frame, and develop a reasonable overall plan that can be broken down into manageable steps. When you develop your goals through the SMART system, they can see fruition through a clear and logical process. WHAT IS THE SMART SYSTEM? S.   SPECIFIC: I want to have a full time job as an FDK ECE by June. M . MEASURABLE : I am going to apply for five jobs every month until I get an interview. A . ATTAINABLE :   I have the education requirements and some experience working as an EDP ECE. R . REALISTIC :   I can gain some extra experience by working or volunteering during my split shift twice a week. T . TIME BASED : I will review and apply for jobs through the school board website, especially during the main hiring time, which is in April and May. FIVE SMART GOAL EXAMPLE...