Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 74) Authentic Literacy Experiences to Te Authentic Young Children during Str Judith Ableser all face stressful situations at some time. Terrorist attacks. Devastating storms. War. A tragic house fire, the death of a friend, domestic violence, or moving to a new community. Whether it is a natural or man-made disaster, community crisis, personal tragedy, or life-cycle event, each can affect our mental health, development, and ability to learn. Studies have demonstrated that children may experience and respond to stress differently from adults; children under stress are also at greater risk than other children for developing emotional, social, and intellectual problems, including Judith Ableser, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan–Flint, teaching language arts and special education in the School of Education and Human Services. jableser@umflint.edu ® We 2, 3 fear, increased aggression, desensitization to the world around them, learning difficulties, and impaired academic development (NAEYC 1993; Garbarino 1995; Cantor 1996; Jackson 1997; Levin 2003). In response to the ongoing stresses and crises of life and the need to help children cope with them, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and NAEYC have developed resolutions and position statements that promote teaching about violence and peace through developmentally appropriate curricular practices. NCTE’s resolution “Teaching in a Time of Crisis” states that teachers need to “continue to support literature and writing instruction as a means for understanding loss, anger, war, and difference” (2001, 1–2). The NAEYC position statement on violence in the lives of children states that educators should “commit the early childhood profession to helping children cope with violence in their lives” and “promote curriculum and teaching practices that address violence prevention; teach conflict resolution, cooperative learning, and respect for diversity in all its forms; and promote positive cultural identity as a central part of the program” (1993, 4). Early childhood teachers may agree with these statements in principle yet © Skjold Photographs find them difficult to implement when confronted with a standardized curriculum and a focus on phonics skills and reading instruction. “How can we teach about peace and violence when we are so busy teaching kids basic reading and writing skills?” I heard such comments frequently while undertaking a yearlong study that examined the implementation and effectiveness of a specific violenceprevention program. I used questionnaires and repeated observations and interviews of 20 kindergarten through third grade classroom teachers in an urban school district. Numerous teachers felt that meeting state standards in reading, writing, and math, even in the earliest grades, left little time for anything else. In fact, some claimed that it was not their responsibility as teachers to focus on social and emotional development but only to teach the content areas (Ableser 2003, 2005). After hearing these comments so many times, I decided to examine the question, “How can teachers balance early curricular demands and expectations while addressing the social and emotional needs of young children during times of crisis and stress?” In the year following the initial study, I embarked on a pilot follow-up study to explore this question in focus group settings with K–3 teachers. The four focus group discussions, involving more than 50 teachers, took place following seminars and workshops on topics relating to young children’s social and emotional development. Young Children • March 2008 74
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