It is back-to-school season, and stuffed inside all those new backpacks and lunchboxes are lots of jitters and emotions, especially as we send off our littlest learners for the very first time. Our so-called “Covid Generation,” children born right before or during the pandemic, are carrying all the usual excitement, worries, and questions; however, they […]
What makes for good teaching? And what makes a teacher great? Liz Willen posed those questions in a recent Hechinger newsletter as she highlighted Jill Barshay’s article Proof Points-The Paradox of Good Teaching in which Barshay acknowledged that “deciding what constitutes good teaching is a messy business.” No doubt that it is, but I’m sure we can all […]
Welcome back! In our first installment on the power of Reflective Practice, we explored the importance of self-reflection and emotional awareness for ourselves as educators, and how Reflective Practice can be utilized within any education community to benefit everyone: teachers, supervisors, and mentors, families, and of course, children. Now, let’s take a look at an […]
In my monthly column ASK Dr. Donna, I answer questions from concerned, worried, and anxious parents about how their kids are doing and offer ideas, provide advice, and suggest ways on how to handle situations that cause children, and their moms and dads, emotional discomfort and distress. What I always try to impress upon parents, however, […]
As we close out Mental Health Awareness Month, we find ourselves at a critical point in the state of mental health for young and old around the globe. We were seeing an alarming rise in rates of depression, anxiety, toxic stress, and suicide for all ages. The past two tumultuous years have impacted every corner […]
Reflective Practice ensures that all members working in the educational community get the opportunity to communicate their self-reflections about how their work, their role, their actions, and their words impact others—and how they, in turn, are impacted by their work. ~ Dr. Donna Housman, Founder & CEO of Housman Institute In an article for Edutopia, […]
Welcome back to the final chapter in our 4-part series about helping children to unpack the emotional backpacks they carry with them each and every day. Throughout this series, we have chronicled the story of our friend Annie, who — as we do with all of the children in our classroom — we have helped […]
Welcome back to the third of our 4-part series focusing on how we can help young children in the process of unpacking their backpacks that are overflowing with emotions, both big and small. Last time, you followed along with us as we supported Annie on her journey towards identifying and understanding her big feelings in […]
Welcome back to the second of our 4-part series focusing on helping young children unpack their backpacks that are overflowing with emotions, both big and little, and how we can help in the process. Last time, we talked about how helping children to identify their feelings can lessen the weight of the emotional backpacks they […]
The federal debate over “Build Back Better” has everyone who loves and cares for children holding our breath. The huge bill includes a plan for historic investment in child care and early learning, representing a sea change for families, early childhood educators, and the future for every child. The significance of what the impact of […]
Welcome to our 4-part series focused on helping young children unpack those heavy backpacks toppling over with big and little emotions, and how we can help ourselves in the process. In this first part, you will learn why it is important to help kids identify emotions, and recognize the physiological signs related to emotions, and […]
It’s the night before the first day of school. Your child is feeling so excited about their new classroom, making new friends, and meeting their teachers for the first time. They have been asking all the big questions: Will I like my teacher? What will my classroom look like? Will I make friends? They even […]
Take a moment and reflect: what is our first response when our child has an angry emotional outburst? Is it to stop the behavior? Or is it to understand what’s behind the anger, help them understand what’s behind the anger, and how to manage it? In a recent article in the Boston Globe Magazine, educator and parent Deborah […]
Imaginative and creative play is important for every child. Having fun exploring and discovering their world whether indoors or outdoors is essential in developing the foundation for social, emotional, and cognitive skills. In fact, play is a child’s work. ~Dr. Donna Housman Founder of Housman Institute and creator of begin to ECSEL At long last we can finally […]
In a recent webinar, Dr. Housman spoke to a group of over 3,000 early childhood professionals on “The Power of Emotional Intelligence from Birth to Age 8.” The webinar was framed around the impact the pandemic has on children, as well as educators and caregivers. As we move toward our “new normal”, and a new school […]
As co-teachers at a begin to ECSEL school, we have experienced countless moments where ECSEL language, tools, and techniques are so vital to shaping children’s emotional learning and overall character development. One of our favorite tools to use in our classroom is Our Emotions Board. When should I use Our Emotions Board? Whether it be a transitional tool in […]
