Is there a one size fits all that is good for everyone? Or is there a best fit for a particular child? Both of these questions have a “yes” answer and perhaps a “no” answer too. There are said norms and milestones that can fit for neurotypical children however they don’t always fit and this is the same for children who are not neurodivergent.
As an Early Childhood Educator of almost 50 years, I have come across many innovative ideas, philosophies and trends in our field and I always tell my teachers, just because it is new and trending across social media, does not mean that it is good. Everything needs to be tried and tested and yes, everything also needs to be given a chance. I am an old school proponent of what works in Early Childhood Education and while I do believe in making space for new, I believe that the old was and can sometimes be the best option. Blending learning modes and systems can enhance learning across ages in the same way that psychotherapeutic plus somatic therapies can benefit people more than just using one modality.
Advances in psychology and studies of the brain have given us new insight into how to work best with children in relation to social and emotional development. Again I am a fierce proponent of working on these areas not at the exclusion of academics because children learn naturally even if you don’t teach them. When a parent asked me whether we teach the ABC, my response was, “No, children learn the ABC.”
Of course, long ago when I attended Barkly House Teachers Training College in Cape Town, South Africa, things were a lot more black and white. When founding Ohana International School seventeen years ago, certain trends in education were just emerging. Some preschools adopted and bought these programs as this was seen as something that created more status for these schools. Parents like labels and buying into the idea of schools being better if they run an international program that other schools have, is something that exists strongly, especially here in Japan.
When I broached the subject of purchasing a program after attending a conference in Yokohama many years ago, I was asked by friends and educators, “Do you run a successful school” and “have you been a highly successful teacher all these years?” To which I replied: “Yes” and the question was then posed: “Then why are you even entertaining the notion of buying a learning program for preschoolers when you know exactly what to do?”
Of course I know what to do however my learning on all levels, is endless and I believe everything in life is on a continuum and we never stop learning as long as we are open to it.
But going back to the one size fits all. It does and it doesn’t. Today, the percentage of neurodivergent children in schools is increasing, all the time. Classrooms cannot just teach to the “average” learner because there is no such thing as an “average learner”. All children need to be seen as individuals and treated as such. Yes, we are a collective but we also come from different cultures, value systems, family structures, language, moral guides etc.
I feel that we are all trying so hard to fit in, that we are losing our individuality. This appears to emerge in children a bit later and then “is it perhaps too late?” I am not sure. Working on our mental and emotional health stands out for me as more important than anything, especially in this day and age of screens and games.
Keeping connected to life and the human experience is my number one and it can fit all.
