Our final week at Marymount went by so quickly especially because we went to the viewing of the Pope on Wednesday so I only had three days with the kids in EC 1. The weather finally warmed up during our final week; according to my teachers, it was unseasonably cold during our time in Italy. Despite the rocky start and the language barrier I formed a great bond with all of my teachers and with the children in both classes. I cannot believe that my time with them is almost finished.
Because the weather was warmed we did not spend as much time outside and spent some time in the library watching educational shows and listening to educational music. The children really respond to music and that is something that I will definitely carry with me into my JMU practicum/student teaching placements and even into my own classroom in the future. They enjoy themselves; they jump, sing, laugh etc. but at the same time they are learning. When children associate learning as an enjoyable experience early on, they are much more likely to enjoy school later in their educational career. A child's opinion of school and learning is set very early on that is why early childhood education is so important and definitely does not get enough credit for the tremendous impact that it makes.
I learned so much from time at Marymount and got so many ideas for projects to complete with my future students. In EC 1 at Marymount they always have a dramatic play area that they decorate and incorporate into their educational unit of learning during that time. For example, their last dramatic area of the year was tied into their unit on transportation. During their morning meeting, they took a vote on what type of transportation they would like their play area to be. They had a choice between car, train, rocket and bus. The children chose rocket and one little boy was especially excited. The teachers informed me that he is especially interested in space and once their rocket was assembled during my final day at Marymount it was apparent how much he loved space. The teachers even constructed space helments to make their dramatic play realistic. It was so cool to see the children working together to construct dramatic play situations dealing with outer space.
On my final day, we spent most of the day outside because it was warm. I even played tag with the children in EC 1 and even some in EC 2. Hearing them yell, "Miss Sam, Miss Sam, come play with me" was so great to hear. My early fears of never forming a connection were put to rest. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to spend time at Marymount.
Because the weather was warmed we did not spend as much time outside and spent some time in the library watching educational shows and listening to educational music. The children really respond to music and that is something that I will definitely carry with me into my JMU practicum/student teaching placements and even into my own classroom in the future. They enjoy themselves; they jump, sing, laugh etc. but at the same time they are learning. When children associate learning as an enjoyable experience early on, they are much more likely to enjoy school later in their educational career. A child's opinion of school and learning is set very early on that is why early childhood education is so important and definitely does not get enough credit for the tremendous impact that it makes.
I learned so much from time at Marymount and got so many ideas for projects to complete with my future students. In EC 1 at Marymount they always have a dramatic play area that they decorate and incorporate into their educational unit of learning during that time. For example, their last dramatic area of the year was tied into their unit on transportation. During their morning meeting, they took a vote on what type of transportation they would like their play area to be. They had a choice between car, train, rocket and bus. The children chose rocket and one little boy was especially excited. The teachers informed me that he is especially interested in space and once their rocket was assembled during my final day at Marymount it was apparent how much he loved space. The teachers even constructed space helments to make their dramatic play realistic. It was so cool to see the children working together to construct dramatic play situations dealing with outer space.
On my final day, we spent most of the day outside because it was warm. I even played tag with the children in EC 1 and even some in EC 2. Hearing them yell, "Miss Sam, Miss Sam, come play with me" was so great to hear. My early fears of never forming a connection were put to rest. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to spend time at Marymount.
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