As California is being ravaged by deadly fires, let’s remember that over a third of California’s firefighters are incarcerated.
They’re out there now risking their lives, making 1% or less of nonincarcerated firefighters’ salaries, and then they can’t even serve as firefighters when they get out because of their past convictions.
teaching children that they are allowed to walk away and cool off if they are feeling overwhelmed might literally save their life as teens/adults
I am a preschool teacher.
This is my “alone zone.”
At any time of the day, if my kids are feeling stressed, they can go here to cool down. There’s stress toys, silly putty, bubbles, sensory bottles…there’s books and headphones to block out the loud noises.
The only thing they have to do is “check in” by putting their picture on which emotion they’re feeling so I know how I can help them when they’re ready.
Kids. Need. Space.
Kids. Need. Coping. Mechanisms.
Not. Time-outs.
And the sooner we as adults teach them that, the better off they’ll be as they grow.
When I did my internship in early childhood parental education, we tried to re-teach Time Out as a form of teaching, not punishment. Time Out should be a way to give the child space to be with their feelings, and to have time to calm down until they’re ready for you to help teach them about what they were feeling, and better ways to handle it.
Time out should never, EVER be a punishment, like most of us generally think of it. It should be something a whole lot like the above. Space and time to cool down, and then you helping them.
amusedAnarchist 