Author: laurenstauble
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Eclosion!
It is with joy and gratitude that I’m reaching out to the Engage community today for our first blog in a loooong time! Among other things, the pandemic sent me (Lauren) into a chrysalis-stage-kind-of-darkness for some deep reflection, writing, and relocating the center in my work. Most of that writing, which was done in partnership…
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Intention (trailer)
Each Sacred conversation aims to shed light on issues affecting teachers and caregivers in early childhood settings and validate their experiences, while also reframing them in a context of (re)claiming intuitive teaching and caregiving relationships. In each conversation we intend to provide practical tools, guides, and/or frameworks for self-reflective engagement that leads to systemic change…
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When we find ourselves in the dark.
Winter Solstice has always been one of my favorite days. For one thing, it’s opposite my birthday (which is Summer Solstice). And more importantly it’s the day we have the least amount of sunlight here in the northern hemisphere. So, we find ourselves in the dark. One more time – and so, we find ourselves…
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Challenging behavior: is it the kids or the grown-ups?
I often get questions from teachers about how to handle behavior challenges in the classroom. And, sometimes I hear from parents who think their child may be the victim of unchecked implicit bias either in regards to race or special needs. Looking for data? This is an article I assign my ECE students regularly: https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/zigler/publications/Preschool%20Implicit%20Bias%20Policy%20Brief_final_9_26_276766_5379_v1.pdf.…
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Resistance
In yoga we sometimes play with the phrase, “what you resist persists”. The idea is that we spend a lot of effort trying to avoid discomfort by not seeing what’s in front of us, but if we pause and accept what’s in front of us then it might not be as scary as we thought…
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Isn’t that racist?
The first time I was called out for my whiteness was at the public library during a community dialogue about the film, Fruitvale Station. I wanted to crawl under my chair. I was quiet for the rest of the event and by the time it was over I promised myself I would stay awake and…
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Tantrums
If you search “tantrums” you’ll find an endless supply of information about what they are and how to handle them. My favorite definition is from Stanford Children’s Health (stanfordchildrens.org), “Temper tantrums are a way a young child lets out strong emotions before he or she is able to express them in socially acceptable ways. A…
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Self Care for All!
My work has always involved taking care of other people in some way and it took me a few years of reaching the point of burn-out annually before I finally established some solid self-care routines. Even so I forget about them from time to time. Every day, and especially when our brains and nervous systems…
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Where does my body begin and end?!
Are your kiddos jumping all over your newly confined space? Their developing sensory systems are looking to feel where the body begins and ends in order to figure out how to navigate the external world. In the words of Lisa Feldman Barrett, “Like those ancient, mummified Egyptian pharoahs, the brain spends eternity entombed in a…
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Chemical Reactions
Children test our patience. Not because they wish to irritate us, but because they are testing an equation to see if they get the same results each time. The equation might be something like: medium volume, whiney sound made by me six times + the presence of my parent = immediate adult attention including loud…