So What?

What are "best practices" and where do they come from? I enjoy my conversations with parents and educators about this hot button topic that, I believe, encourages a narrow and subjective view of child development. I believe that there are optimal practices, but they are optimal only in the social, cultural, geographic, individual and/or interdependent context in which they are realized. I can and do have strong feelings about what is best for the children in my care, but I respect and appreciate the optimal practices of other teachers who may or may not share my views. Janet Gonzalez-Mena writes about the concept of "third space". for me it is the idea that I can have strong beliefs and still hold a space someone with very different beliefs. This is not only liberating, but keeps me open to language and practices that are different from my own. My 25 years of experience is only as good as my ability to assimilate and incorporate new perspectives into my practices. I need to reflect on the question, "so what?" Why is what I'm doing right now so important? Is it because I said so, or do I have a developmental reason that is rooted in the task at hand? Perhaps there are indicators that are pointing me in a different direction, but I'm stuck in trying to control the teachable moment. When and if I become aware of such conflicts, I try to let the teachable moment guide me. For example, the other day I brought big trucks into the classroom in the morning. We had tracks on the floor made out of tape and the children were thrilled. They began pushing the trucks around slowly and carefully, I reminded them to do so often. Finally, they couldn't function inside my somewhat controlling guidelines and started bolting around the classroom with the trucks. I was amazed at the speed and energy the children were producing. My heart pounded because I did not think the children were capable of being safe at such speeds with such big metal trucks. I reflected on my trepidations and realized that I didn't like the noise and was afraid of what the parents coming into the room would think of the "chaos". I decided that those reasons were not good enough to stop the children's play so I stepped back, intentionally, and the children continued to run around, stopping when they needed to let someone by, or if someone was moving at a slower pace. The children were learning about where they are in space and where others are in a shared space. When parents came into the room most of them smiled at the scene being played out at knee level. I explained my process to the few parents who seemed reticent and I think they got it. I know that the children had a meaningful and personal experience that I facilitated by reflecting on my practices then letting go of my need to control their play.