Thursday, February 18, 2010

Managing Tantrums in Early Childhood Education

He who angers you conquers you.
Elizabeth Kenny

Tempers can flare even in the most pleasant atmospheres…from the most pleasant of children. A teacher is always on duty…I know my reaction to a situation when all eyes are on me is also a teachable moment.
When I began teaching I never really thought about how much I would be managing children’s emotions…and more importantly, my own.
I focused on learning the art, science and math curriculum. Preschool is going to be easy piecy lemon squeesy and the kids will have so much fun! I came into my career armed with crayons and curriculum up to my eyeballs…then, there was discontent. Discontent in the form of a screaming kicking angry tantrum.
Crayons didn’t help.
This was over twenty years ago.
Managing the emotions of others to me now means I first know how to manage my own. Am I perfect? Goodness gravy-no, but I’m willing to keep going until I get it right.
I never knew that touching the lives of so many little ones meant first starting with my own...
How many jobs can we really say that about?

2 comments:

Julie Parker, Social Media Executive said...

Barb, Life has a way of manifesting dosent it? All the lessons we need to learn are taught to us. You through your work with children me in my life as I struggle to find my own way and figure out how to live and be happy. Its so funny. We don't come with a hand book on how to deal with emotions. We learn from our parents, preachers and extract data from where ever... I'm a communication major and we have studied standpoints, viewpoints, objective and subjective perceptions.

Our subjective opinions are based on our experiences and how we reacted and our objective opinions are based on data and fact we have received.

I'm not an expert but I have lived for 46 years in this emotionally driven body with a mind of its own LOL.

All I can say is wow. Each trial and test brings to the surface what I need to change and my spiritual practice shows me where I need to be.

Anger, fear and emotions can't run our actions.

Most anger is fear. We are afraid of not geting our way or not having what we want.

We are selfish by nature. This is how we survive as a race. We focus on what we think we need to survive.

Kids think they need stuff: candy, toys, attention...

Adults think they need money, a relationship and security or power to get these items.

Maslow's hiarchy of needs spells out how we develop and its so funny how human we really really are when we get emotional.

I have my tools: what I read and what I think on help me cope.

Loving is the core of all life.

Hugs

Julie

Barbra The Bloggess said...

So true JujuBEE,
I am the type of person that enjoys studying things. A Study-ologist, of sorts. Even with myself....I have actually learned quite a bit about myself from blogging...
I see how blogging is a web-log;a digital diary. My hopes is that I can learn from my own experiences, mistakes, failures, successes, etc. (Who knows, perhaps others will, too-or at least have a good laugh).
I had always felt the definition of crazy was doing the same thing over & over and expecting a different result.
Writing things down always did help me remember...and besides, in my household...everyone always read my diary anyway......