I will start by asking two questions: at what age did you know your gender, and do you think someone else had to tell you what it was? I’m director of mental health at a leading gender clinic in the US. Our clinic is a half-decade old – and in that short period the number […]
Yearly Archives: 2015
Documentation—what’s the point?
Over-attention to documentation continues, often seemingly with more emphasis on quantity than on quality. It would be heartening to hear of a service where practices were rated as outstanding in every respect and at every level, but the National Quality Standards rating was diminished because there wasn’t enough documentation! Many documented observations of children appear […]
Protective behaviours
Child abuse, and especially child sexual abuse, concerns everyone who works with children. Over the last thirty plus years protective behaviours programs of different kinds have been developed and used to try to help protect children from this kind of abuse. These programs are usually provided in schools or early childhood services such as preschools. […]
One day of little transitions
Little transitions, moving from one setting to another or one activity to another, constantly happen during a child’s life and they offer many learning opportunities. Transitions are opportunities for educators to: Engage and build relationships with children Nurture the development children’s social and emotional skills Communicate to children that they are in a safe, secure […]
Intentionality and technology
Preparing for an ECA webinar this week on Being an Intentional Educator, got me thinking about intentionality and the use of technology in education and care settings. Educators have intentions or views about technology that go from being challenged and excited by technology and finding ways to embrace it, and at the other end of […]
Five Be You domains keep mental health in focus
This blog was originally posted in 2015 and updated in August 2020. Everything you do with Be You influences children’s mental health and wellbeing: each domain helps you focus on a different part of the picture. Initially it can be hard to put all the bits of the Be You Professional Learning together. As you work through […]
5 career kickstarters for mum
If you have been out of the workforce on maternity leave or taking some time out to nurture your little ones then maybe it’s time for a career kickstarter for mum? Sometimes two weeks in an organisation can mean they have rearranged the seating or reclassified your role and if you have been out of […]
What should we tell our children about money?
Being a parent presents us with daily challenges, including decisions about what things to expose our children to. One of the questions I am constantly asked by parents is what should they teach their children about money, and at what age. Talking about money is no different to talking about how to keep healthy or […]
Top tips for helping children manage their emotions
Originally posted in 2015, this post was updated in August 2020. Be You provides opportunity to really explore children’s ability to manage their emotions, and to outline how we as adults and educators can assist them to do this. We know this is a complex and an emotionally-charged area of our work as early childhood […]
Bringing mindfulness to life at school
‘Mindfulness’ as a concept and a practice has rapidly entered the zeitgeist, helping to define the spirit and ideas of our times, including in education. Not much more than a decade ago a Google search for mindfulness and education would show the Garrison Institute Initiative for Contemplative Teaching and Learning at the top of the […]