I am an observer by trade and for that reason I often enjoy observing other teachers interact with different children in my work environment. I have watched one teacher in particular interact with a child that is in my group and this child in particular does not have many words and she demonstrates this ability to support him through his day and through the difficulty he may have when interacting with other children in the environment. Because this child does not have all the words he needs in order to communicate effectively he can sometimes have a difficult time managing his behavior and can become somewhat frustrated when working with others. In these moments, I have seen this same teacher become intensely frustrated with him and I wonder if listening means that we only hear each others voices or does it mean that we also learn to tune ourselves in to the cues that he is giving with his body and with the way that he interacts not just with other children but also with the environment as well. I think this frustration, when exhibited by the teacher, also is in many ways providing an example for him of how to be and it begs the question, is that the example we want him to follow?
In our readings this week, we examined how to support children through communicating effectively. I think one of the things that I learned the most and that might help me to respond when I see this happening is to show her how to listen (watch) for the cues he is giving and to respond accordingly and not think about intervening when something has already happened but paying more attention to the signs to prevent certain behavior from occurring.
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