Shaping Little Minds

Let’s talk about the importance of parent communication. In my years of teaching, parent communication has always been something I strive to get better at. Is that something that you would consider yourself good at? What are some ways you keep parents informed during the school year, especially now through covid? I’m thrilled to welcome our guest Ria Simon!

Ria Simon is the Community Ambassador at HiMama. Prior to starting at HiMama, Ria was a Registered Early Childhood Educator and worked 7 years in the classroom. She taught all ages but mainly preschoolers. Ria lives in Toronto with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her niece and nephew and being on the water.

 What we cover:

• Why parents communication is an important subject to cover
• How covid changed the way we communicate with parents
• Different styles of communication that are effective
• Tips to getting better at communication

Find HiMama at:
https://www.instagram.com/himamaapp/
www.himama.com

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Anisha is an Early Childhood Entrepreneur, Coach and Specialist from Toronto, Canada! She has been in the field of early education for 10+ years playing various roles in the field from classroom roles to leadership roles. In her current role, she is the CEO of a company that focuses on supporting the early learning community through professional education, consulting and empowerment. She is also a self-published children's book author.

In this episode, we cover:

• Favorite part of being an early childhood professional
• Experience in the leadership roles in ECE
• Her journey into entrepreneurship
• Her experience in publishing; specifically self-publishing 

How you can reach Anisha --

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Anishaangella.co.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Anishaangella.co

Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnishaAngella

Sponsor: Lead to Confidence Workshop (Free!) --
https://adva-hanan.mykajabi.com/offers/66LKMRaD

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Have you ever heard the terms ‘growth mindset’ and ‘fixed mindset’? If you haven’t, that’s ok. This is a perfect place for you to learn! When I approached my first teaching position, I didn’t realize how important mindset was. I had no idea what it meant to have a growth or fixed mindset. All I knew was that I loved seeing my students grow and learn throughout the year inside my classroom. 

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• What growth mindset is
• What fixed mindset
• Why mindset is important in the classroom

Let’s approach this new school year with a different perspective. No matter what happens with covid, we can and will have another amazing year. Who’s with me?!

Book Recommendation: Mindset by Carol Dweck

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Trust is the foundation for any good relationship, especially in a classroom full of new students and their families. Trust is built on making strong connections with the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis. You are the leader inside your classroom. It is your space; you get to decide how the classroom will run and what kind of relationships you build with your students and their parents.

What we’ll cover in this episode:

• What it means to build trust both in and out of the classroom

Brene Brown’s book, Dare to Lead, focuses on the behavior that describes trust and dives into the seven elements in developing trust. 

• Seven elements of developing trust

Before you go ahead with your day, I want you to consider this: How can you display these behaviors when building rapport with students and their families?

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When I found out school was going to be back in session come August, I was THRILLED. I couldn’t wait to get back into my classroom! I was so bored being at home with no routine and feeling like the walls in my apartment were closing in on me. I loved that we were back to in-person learning, no matter how much work it was transitioning into a year like this. I had 19 students to welcome into their first year of school and form connections with, all while coordinating Zoom schedules, pre-recorded lessons and managing a team of four teachers inside my classroom. It was A LOT but I thought I’d be able to handle it all.

What we cover in today’s episode:

• The transition back into the classroom after virtual learning
• A lack of support when I needed it most
• Business redirection & balance
• My decision to walk away and pursue other passions

Early childhood is not an easy field to be in and especially now. If you are at all feeling stressed, out of sorts, or just needing a bit more support; keep listening to upcoming episodes! It’s gonna be SO good!! 

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We all have an ingrained mindset when it comes to failure. When I fail, all I want to do is walk away and give up. Because failure is bad, right? Failure is something we avoid at all costs. But what happens when we view failure as something that helps us grow? Something that teaches us to be better? As teachers, we experience failure all too often and there are so many times where we wish we could just walk away. But what if we failed and picked ourselves up to try again? What if that second try makes all the difference?

Here’s what we dive into:

• Definition of failure
• How we view failure in academics
• My experience as a first year teacher & why I view failure the way I do
• Why failure is an important part of teaching & life in general

Failure should be encouraged. Failure is completely normal.

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I have been fighting this feeling since I started teaching seven years ago. I always felt guilty saying that. Why did I feel guilty? Why is that such a bad thing? It doesn’t mean I don’t love early childhood education. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to pursue education as my career. It just means my passion lies elsewhere; it doesn’t lie inside the classroom and that’s OK! 

Here’s what we dive into:

• Why listening to others isn’t always the best option
• The difference believing in yourself can make in your decisions
• How you hold the power to change your future
• Always feeling like you need “time” or “experience” to do what you dream of doing

YOU GOT THIS! Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. 

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I am a big believer in play being another way for young children to learn. I work in a play-based school because I truly believe in the power of play. Play gives children the opportunity to learn from the environment around them. It gives them the opportunity to learn socialization skills with children their age. Play doesn’t have to be free for all, it can be planned activities that encourage learning. 

Here are some suggestions for activities during play time that encourage learning:

• Art projects that relate to the unit you’re focused on. Take the opportunity to ask questions, observe, and engage with your students while they are doing the project.
• Having the library or reading corner open throughout play time to encourage literacy inside the classroom and finding their love of books
• Manipulatives encourage students to continue to develop their fine motor skills as they play and engage with one another
• Play helps your students learn what’s appropriate and what isn’t appropriate inside the classroom. It teaches socialization skills

Unfortunately, early childhood has changed and become more academic and less play-based. I want to make sure you, the newer teacher, understands that there are benefits to play whether or not parents agree with it. Play doesn’t have to be a free for all. It can be a wonderful learning experience for your students. Do you encourage play in your ECE classroom?

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I haven’t had to worry about an interview in many years now. I’ve been at the same school for six years and although I thought about leaving, I never actually took the time to apply and interview at various schools. Well, this year is different. I have been in the classroom for a total of seven years and I’m looking for change. I’m looking to get out of the classroom and into an admin role within a preschool. 

So far, I’ve had three interviews. The first being my worst. I didn’t prepare for it at all and when I was asked questions, I got flustered. Not only that, I didn’t write down any questions I wanted to ask the person who was interviewing so I got flustered then too. They didn’t offer me the job I had applied for. They asked if I wanted a teaching position instead. 

What  I covered in this episode: 

1. My first interview and my reflections
2. What it means to have a successful interview
3. Ways to prepare for an interview

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Before I talk about the actual mistakes I made, I want to preface that if you’re a new teacher or going into next year as a new teacher, it is totally and completely normal to make mistakes. We all make mistakes in our first year but the question ends up being whether or not you learned from your mistakes. 

I made a ton of mistakes my first year, I have listed some below just to name a few:

• No time for self-care
• Not asking for help
• No real classroom management strategy

We’ll dive into these subjects one at a time. 

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• Importance of self-care (you can refer to episode #3)
• What it means to ask for help 
• Importance of classroom management strategy in your first year

Just remember: it’s okay to make mistakes! Give yourself grace, learn from those mistakes, and move forward. 

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