51吃瓜网

Dr. Mona Williams Thornton

Associate Dean and Professor of Early Childhood Education, Southern Wesleyan University, Central, South Carolina

For Mona Thornton, quality early childhood education means real experiences. With 47 years in the field鈥攊n the classroom, in higher education, and in the child development center she established, which has been in operation for almost 40 years鈥擬ona truly has a lifetime of real experiences working with children. But why does听real听equal quality to Mona?

鈥淚f I made whatever we were doing real, I had them,鈥� Mona says, explaining how children bought in to activities when they felt a significant connection to their own lives. When she was first starting out in the field, Mona visited a child care center that had been getting a lot of buzz in the community. But when she arrived to observe the classroom, she saw a group of 2-year-olds sitting at a table with worksheets in front of them. 鈥淚 would have been more impressed seeing children having a sensory experience at the water table,鈥� Mona says.

Mona believes in taking cues from the children. In one of Mona鈥檚 first early childhood classrooms in the 1970s, a child constructed the Enterprise (the spaceship from the popular television show听Star Trek) out of a refrigerator box. Joining in the play, Mona found that using the spaceship to 鈥渂eam鈥� children to their next centers inspired them to be enthusiastic about transitions. Reflecting and expanding on children鈥檚 interests has stayed with Mona as the best way to get children excited about learning.

鈥淚鈥檝e always thought that children get so much from live things,鈥� Mona says. Be it growing their own food in a classroom garden or meeting people from countries they have identified on a map of the world, Mona has experiences with both. For instance, she鈥檚 found that children are more willing to taste new foods when they鈥檝e brought in vegetables from home to contribute to group-made vegetable soup because they鈥檙e excited about eating 鈥渢heir potato鈥� or 鈥渢heir carrot.鈥�

Another memorable example occurred soon after the children in Mona鈥檚 classroom at the Howard University Child Development Center, in Washington, DC, had been exploring different places on a map of the world. After seeing where they lived, the children found where countries they had talked about were located and investigated their different habitats and cultures. A few days after the class had been fascinated by their exploration of India, a woman wearing a sari came to their classroom door. She was visiting from India with the intention of attending a program at the university. The children immediately stopped and asked the visitor, 鈥淗ow did you get here? You can鈥檛 drive from where you live!鈥� 鈥淭hey were really processing this,鈥� Mona says, commenting on the children鈥檚 attempts to reconcile seeing someone from India with the fact that India is far away. 鈥淚t was a meaningful exploration.鈥�

If Mona could give only one piece of advice to new teachers, it would be this: 鈥淜now your children. The relationship is what they鈥檙e going to remember.鈥� She also emphasizes the necessity of making families feel included. As a teacher, she always made sure to tell family members that 鈥渢hese are your children, and you are welcome in this center at any time. You don鈥檛 have to make an appointment to come here.鈥� Being open and welcoming is the heart of being real. It鈥檚 also the heart of Mona as an educator and a person. Reflecting on her career, Mona says, 鈥淚 just love what I do.鈥�

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