Early Childhood Perspective on the New Normal
Early Childhood Perspective on the New Normal
Working with early childhood students provides a unique perspective on a worldwide health crisis. And as the COVID-19 pandemic continues on, I have started looking for lessons to be learned and the possible lasting benefits.
I have often seen and heard the phrase the new normal when reading about or discussing changes to daily life as a result of the pandemic. If you have only been on the planet for 3-5 years, pretty much everything is new, and at school, very young children do not have an old normal for comparison. As teachers established classroom procedures during our first days of school, the children responded like any other year: they followed the plan. This year’s plan includes standing on marks on the floor while waiting to wash hands and standing “zombie arms” length away from friends in line, but because these routines were established on the first day, they are the only normal. Even face masks have not been very daunting. For many families, it seems more difficult for parents to see their children masked than it is for the child to mask up for school. The unicorn, Spiderman, and countless other mask patterns have even made it a little bit fun.
Each year we address parents’ concerns throughout the school year. One common concern is children separating from their parents. When normal is being dropped off and picked up in the car line rather than by being walked in by a parent, children accept this as the way it's done. This is another example where it is much more difficult for parents and caregivers to adapt than for the child. We also miss our small and large interactions with all of our wonderfully supportive parents. We understand and appreciate the sacrifice this is for our families.
In the classroom and on the playground, children learn regardless of the circumstances. Teaching and modeling is an important aspect of early learning. This gets tricky when you cannot share materials and toys with your friends. Teachers have been very creative in finding ways to incorporate materials into their lessons. Student groupings and furniture arrangements are different than in the past, but still effective. Children are learning to solve different problems, such as how to manage playground time when the sandbox population is limited. We watch them figure out how to make adjustments in the moment each and every day. Distance learning for early childhood students is a challenge for many reasons. A fun part of the new normal for children in the classroom is saying hello to their friends on TV. Many of our distance learners like joining their classmates from home because they get a friendly greeting when they arrive on camera. The difficulty is on the adult side. Teachers are preparing differently and parents are working diligently on their end at home. What I learn from children is to embrace the situation and have fun where possible, even when facing change and difficulty. We know that brain development is vital and active in young children. Research also tells us that as we age it is important for brain health to remain engaged in tasks that keep our minds working. Solving distance learning and other problems as they arise is an ideal way to practice.
I have often seen and heard the phrase the new normal when reading about or discussing changes to daily life as a result of the pandemic. If you have only been on the planet for 3-5 years, pretty much everything is new, and at school, very young children do not have an old normal for comparison. As teachers established classroom procedures during our first days of school, the children responded like any other year: they followed the plan. This year’s plan includes standing on marks on the floor while waiting to wash hands and standing “zombie arms” length away from friends in line, but because these routines were established on the first day, they are the only normal. Even face masks have not been very daunting. For many families, it seems more difficult for parents to see their children masked than it is for the child to mask up for school. The unicorn, Spiderman, and countless other mask patterns have even made it a little bit fun.
Each year we address parents’ concerns throughout the school year. One common concern is children separating from their parents. When normal is being dropped off and picked up in the car line rather than by being walked in by a parent, children accept this as the way it's done. This is another example where it is much more difficult for parents and caregivers to adapt than for the child. We also miss our small and large interactions with all of our wonderfully supportive parents. We understand and appreciate the sacrifice this is for our families.
In the classroom and on the playground, children learn regardless of the circumstances. Teaching and modeling is an important aspect of early learning. This gets tricky when you cannot share materials and toys with your friends. Teachers have been very creative in finding ways to incorporate materials into their lessons. Student groupings and furniture arrangements are different than in the past, but still effective. Children are learning to solve different problems, such as how to manage playground time when the sandbox population is limited. We watch them figure out how to make adjustments in the moment each and every day. Distance learning for early childhood students is a challenge for many reasons. A fun part of the new normal for children in the classroom is saying hello to their friends on TV. Many of our distance learners like joining their classmates from home because they get a friendly greeting when they arrive on camera. The difficulty is on the adult side. Teachers are preparing differently and parents are working diligently on their end at home. What I learn from children is to embrace the situation and have fun where possible, even when facing change and difficulty. We know that brain development is vital and active in young children. Research also tells us that as we age it is important for brain health to remain engaged in tasks that keep our minds working. Solving distance learning and other problems as they arise is an ideal way to practice.
Discussions with early learners need to have a developmental perspective in mind. Young children do understand that their lives have been turned upside down over the last six months, but they do not have a true grasp on what six months means. Many are out of sorts and out of practice interacting with others, but they do not know why. Being back in school with their peers has been greatly beneficial for social and emotional development. Because the average Beginning Schooler is not developmentally ready to grasp the relationship between community, city, state, and nation, they have no sense of the scale of a worldwide health crisis. They do relate to being sick from time to time. They can understand that when people stop “getting sick” they can go visit Grandma and Grandpa or attend events like Disney on Ice again.
In this new normal some things have not changed. In Beginning School, we like to say that we were washing hands constantly before it was popular. After the first two weeks of school, we had a few children staying home with cold-like symptoms. This is very normal and strangely comforting. Curiosity and the desire to accomplish tasks is alive and well in our school year.
What I have learned by watching children is that they are resilient and generally happy, or at least easily redirected when they are not so happy. Adults cannot remain blissfully unaware of the realities of life and serious illness, but we can look to our children to find the joy in life’s simple pleasures. Children observe our reactions to our circumstances. They notice when we model stress as opposed to optimism. Like the rest of the world, I look forward to the day when it is safer to travel near and far. I cannot wait to hold live, face to face school events. On the bright side: I’ll consider it a win if worldwide hygiene improves. Teachers improving instruction by looking for creative ways to adjust to our new normal will not end after the pandemic. We plan to keep the web cameras set up and find new ways to invite parents to join us from time to time. This is a huge win for students and teachers. We all win if we work together and care for one another a bit more as a result of this pandemic. Perhaps a few decades from now our Beginning School students will remember preschool as “that time when we had to wear masks but I don’t really remember.” Best wishes to students and adults of all ages as we adjust to the ever-changing normal.
In this new normal some things have not changed. In Beginning School, we like to say that we were washing hands constantly before it was popular. After the first two weeks of school, we had a few children staying home with cold-like symptoms. This is very normal and strangely comforting. Curiosity and the desire to accomplish tasks is alive and well in our school year.
What I have learned by watching children is that they are resilient and generally happy, or at least easily redirected when they are not so happy. Adults cannot remain blissfully unaware of the realities of life and serious illness, but we can look to our children to find the joy in life’s simple pleasures. Children observe our reactions to our circumstances. They notice when we model stress as opposed to optimism. Like the rest of the world, I look forward to the day when it is safer to travel near and far. I cannot wait to hold live, face to face school events. On the bright side: I’ll consider it a win if worldwide hygiene improves. Teachers improving instruction by looking for creative ways to adjust to our new normal will not end after the pandemic. We plan to keep the web cameras set up and find new ways to invite parents to join us from time to time. This is a huge win for students and teachers. We all win if we work together and care for one another a bit more as a result of this pandemic. Perhaps a few decades from now our Beginning School students will remember preschool as “that time when we had to wear masks but I don’t really remember.” Best wishes to students and adults of all ages as we adjust to the ever-changing normal.
Sara Carlson
Beginning School Director
- Beginning School