By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. Professional friendships provide a platform for educators to offer emotional support to one another, helping them navigate the hills and valleys of their shared profession. We learn from one another through professional friendships that foster personal and collective growth. We can engage in reflective practice about relationships and friendships between … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. I vividly recall the year 2010 when full-day kindergarten was introduced in the province of Ontario. At that time, I had the privilege of serving as the president of the provincial professional association for early childhood educators (AECEO). Throughout that period, I found myself engaged in numerous discussions, both formal … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE I have used the word “just” too many times in my professional life. “I am just …”. It is a word that devalues whatever I am going to say. I often used it as a way to express a sense of dissatisfaction, devaluation, or belittlement regarding my role, profession, and … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. Mentorship and professional friendship are valuable strategies for supporting professional learning and growth in early childhood education. The College of Early Childhood Education in Ontario defines mentoring as a reciprocal, relationship-based, and process-oriented experience between a mentor and a mentee, aimed at improving professional practice through reflective practice, self-directed learning, … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. One of the joys of being an early childhood educator is that we get to look at the world through the eyes of a child, every single day. Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child, fresh with wonder ~ … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. Vintage materials are valuable play resources! There is value to vintage. They remind me about what is important. They give me pause to think deeply about values and what it means to value. Values are the regard that something is held to deserve. Values are the importance of something. To … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. When my grandchildren visit I am constantly curiously observing. When I observe with curiosity I wonder why they are interested in the experiences that they find engaging. Reese who is three, likes playing with small, even tiny loose parts. What does this mean? If you are thinking developmentally, and fine … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. BIG IDEAS refer to concepts that are meaningful to the lives of children. If we look beyond development to children’s emerging interests as a focus of observation there is an opportunity to consider what is really important. Everyday there are opportunities for children to explore ideas that are rich and … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Think back to your childhood, can you recall a book that you connected with, cared for, loved and cherished? That book was your friend. You had a reciprocal relationship with the story, the pages, and pictures. Do you still have the book? A musty volume of illustrated children’s stories sits … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Looking back on a long career as an early childhood educator, I can confidently say that professional friendships are my greatest accomplishments. I have benefited more from these relationships than any title I have had, or credential that I have earned. My belief in the value of professional friendships is … Continue reading
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 