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Esperanza philosophies: To empower or control
There is a question we ask ourselves when encountering a difficulty
situation with any child: “Is this really about the toy (or snack, or
game) or about a need for power?”
We know that at first glance it can be hard to
tell. It does take a certain amount of experience to understand what a
child is really saying through his non-verbal and verbal behavior. It is
our belief that as educators of young children, we must make the effort to
read between the lines and respond in an appropriate and empowering
manner!
We believe children should be empowered at the
earliest age possible to make choices for themselves, beginning as early
as finger foods. We encourage parents to send to school food their
children may self-feed so they are able to make distinctions and choices
rather than having food shoveled indiscriminately into their mouths. We
encourage our children to dress themselves and marvel at their pride in
their inside-out shirts and backwards shoes and acknowledge their glowing
by saying, “I see you got dressed all by yourself today.” We trust our
children to “use their words” as well as to choose their friends.
We
invite you to read about other
Esperanza philosophies that are also essential elements in education.
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