Being careful and safe may have its ups and downs, but I wonder how teachers would teach if being safe and careful was not a factor.

When I reread the questions that I answered from week four, I noticed not much of a change. I may look at things a little differently now, since I have learned much about Reggio Emilia, but my thoughts haven't changed very much about my answers to the questions. I chose "Who is Laura?" and "October 2: The Apple in the Kitchen" for the questions to answer. I think there are pictures of the teachers on the pages, because they are together in the process of teaching the children. They collaborate together to make it possible for their children to learn and grow in every way possible. Now that I look back on the first couple of pages, I realize the introduction is called Setting the Scene. This is showing what the environment looks like and who is part of the environment. The people who are in the pictures is probably the teachers who wrote the diary of Laura. I noticed that one thing changed about my answer to one of the questions. I just started working full time in a three year old classroom last week and we have to get to know the children and their families so well so we can build a relationship with them. We need to know everything about their child, because they are only three years old; they are still so young. We are potty training them and teaching them the basics of just holding cups and forks and pouring milk. We need to establish a good relationship with their parents so they are able to trust us with their little one and also so there is consistency at home and school.

There is a picture in my director's office of children walking by a cliff. The picture was taken in the 80's and she was telling me that times were different back then where we could do pretty much everything. Nowadays, everything is about safety and being careful. It's kind of sad actually that we have to shelter children so much that they are not allowed to do certain things. We usually have a little field trip to our kitchen and everything is so regulated that we have to all wear covered shoes and hair nets. Children would never be allowed in the kitchen when the cooks are making our school's food. It's actually too bad, it could be a great experience for the children. I am still not too sure why the teacher left the two children in the kitchen. But it seemed like the children loved the experience of being allowed to be in there. Being careful and safe may have its ups and downs, but I wonder how teachers would teach if being safe and careful was not a factor.

How can I make learning trips and walks in the community meaningful for children who may never get the opportunity to travel to a new place?

When reading the weekly chapter, I found myself reflecting upon this quote from page 339:

"We travel to learn about other places, other people, other ways of doing things. But of course in the end, the ultimate reason - and the the ultimate reward - for travel is to learn more about oneself."

As growing up an "Army Brat" I was able to see the world by the time I was a freshman in high school. I've lived in every part of the United States, Germany, and Africa. By living overseas it gave me endless possibilities to learn about new cultures and explore new countries that people would dream their whole lives to see in person. Growing up I really did love moving to new places and seeing new things, but it was extremely difficult packing up and moving every two years. My dad, mom, brother, and I rarely got to visit our family in Hawaii and it took a lot of strength for us to be away from them for so long. But as I reflect upon my life and being able to experience the things and places I have, I feel that I was very blessed to have been able to go to different countries and study languages and culture. I think it has made me who I am today. From all of the places I have bee to, I feel that Hawaii has the most diversity and culture in one specific place. And it also has been a blessing to finally move here and be closer to all of my family.

Since there is so much diversity and culture in Hawaii, how can I bring the best possible experiences that will help children learn about their community and want to travel within it and to new places? How can I give the children in my classroom experiences that will have a positive effect? How can I make learning trips and walks in the community meaningful for children who may never get the opportunity to travel to a new place? How can I transform my classroom to represent a place where children can to travel to around the world? What can I do to help children learn about themselves by traveling to new places in the community? How can I become an advocate for children to learn about places in our world? How can I bring culture and diversity into my classroom everyday?

When change and unexpected things happen in the classroom, how can we understand children and what they are feeling?

"Being with children offers countless moments and situations that test our understanding of their complex world, of ourselves, and of a broad range of issues related to learning and teaching." page - 330

I found this quote very meaningful when reading the text, because I can relate to it. I feel the same way about children. Each day I learn something new about the children and myself. One thing that I noticed when working with children is that they are very unpredictable. I have noticed this the past couple of years since I have been working in the same classroom. It kind of throws me off a little bit, because when I reflect upon each day I do notice that each day is different and unexpected things happen all the time. How can we be ready for unexpected things that happen in the classroom? Is it part of learning about sustainability in early childhood education? How can we help the children to understand that change and spontaneity can be a good thing? One thing a teacher must be good at is change and dealing with unexpected things that happen in the classroom. I feel that is a good way to observe children and really get to know their personalities. But when change and unexpected things happen, how do we really understand children and what they are feeling? What can I do as a teacher to support my children when change happens? Change can be a good thing and open up moments that can be treasured by children and teachers.