WEBVTT 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:12.240 Welcome to the Forgotten ECE, the show where 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.640 before and after school educators, summer camp 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.079 and PD staff and CYWs have a place where they 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.219 are seen, heard and valued. I'm your host, Jamie 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:32.219 Wankler, and I'm so excited you're here. Hello. 00:00:32.649 --> 00:00:35.829 everyone and welcome back to the Forgotten ECE. 00:00:36.009 --> 00:00:38.729 I am so ecstatic that you're here with me today 00:00:38.729 --> 00:00:43.240 because I have two incredible powerhouses here 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:45.659 and they're talking about my favorite topic obviously 00:00:45.659 --> 00:00:51.079 school age with me today is the inspiring julie 00:00:51.079 --> 00:00:54.859 hansen and the also inspiring because i'm not 00:00:54.859 --> 00:00:57.020 going to say two different things carla ward 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:00.100 thank you so so much for being here together 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:02.500 we're going to discuss their upcoming live zoom 00:01:02.500 --> 00:01:05.180 workshop guidance strategies for school -aged 00:01:05.180 --> 00:01:09.060 children support emotional growth and navigate 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:11.439 conflict with confidence happening Saturday, 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:16.459 August 16th, 2025. Hi, Carla. Hi, Julie. Thanks 00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:19.239 so much for being here. Thank you for having 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:22.739 us. You're so welcome. Carla, why don't we start 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:24.980 with you? Why don't you give our listeners, if 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:26.579 they don't already know you, why don't you give 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:28.560 our listeners a little bit about you? Awesome. 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:30.719 Well, thank you so much. So my name is Carla 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:33.799 Ward. I'm an ECE in Ontario, Canada. I am the 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:36.819 host of the Everything ECE podcast, and I've 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:39.859 been an ECE for... Over 20 years, I live, breathe 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:42.719 and bleed early childhood. And I'm just so grateful 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:45.319 to be on today talking about essentially that 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:47.519 forgotten age group, as well as those forgotten 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.099 ACEs. Julie and I absolutely love this workshop. 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:52.120 So we're excited to chat about it, but also to 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:55.200 share some actionable steps. Amazing. And it's 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:58.180 so needed. Before we all jumped onto recording, 00:01:58.379 --> 00:01:59.939 Julie and I were talking about how needed it 00:01:59.939 --> 00:02:02.599 is. And you just ignite my fire so much because 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:04.459 when people come out and they're doing things 00:02:04.459 --> 00:02:06.420 for school age children and educators, it's just 00:02:06.420 --> 00:02:08.479 it's exactly where we need to be. Julie, can 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:11.319 you give us a quick hi and tell us about yourself? 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:13.979 Sure. Hi, everyone. My name is Julie Henson. 00:02:14.490 --> 00:02:16.310 I've been an early childhood educator for 25 00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:20.129 years out here in BC. I really love teaching 00:02:20.129 --> 00:02:22.250 workshops for ECEs, family child care providers, 00:02:22.550 --> 00:02:24.930 administrators, and students, and I'm really 00:02:24.930 --> 00:02:27.189 excited about this workshop that Carla and I 00:02:27.189 --> 00:02:29.409 work on together. It's just so much fun, and 00:02:29.409 --> 00:02:31.830 I really love supporting school -age educators 00:02:31.830 --> 00:02:35.219 as well. Oh, amazing. Yeah, exactly. Like this 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:38.020 is so great. I'm just sitting here and people 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:39.759 can't see me because it's a podcast and I have 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:41.439 to remember that, but I'm sitting here in awe 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:44.439 because both of you are incredible people in 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:46.500 this field. And it's honestly an honor to have 00:02:46.500 --> 00:02:49.539 you here on the podcast. All right, let's start 00:02:49.539 --> 00:02:51.960 at the beginning. What actually inspired you 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:54.719 to team up and create this new workshop? Well, 00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:56.919 Carla and I have worked together on a couple 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.759 of projects and we really enjoy collaborating. 00:03:00.349 --> 00:03:02.650 And so we were having a conversation and we were 00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:05.430 talking about areas of the sector that don't 00:03:05.430 --> 00:03:08.430 get as much attention as they need to. And school 00:03:08.430 --> 00:03:10.250 age is always at the forefront of that list. 00:03:10.370 --> 00:03:13.689 And so we thought about our experiences in school 00:03:13.689 --> 00:03:16.110 age and areas that we thought would be really 00:03:16.110 --> 00:03:18.710 beneficial to share with school age educators 00:03:18.710 --> 00:03:21.590 and guidance was at the top of that list. So 00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:23.689 we started talking about brainstorming ideas. 00:03:23.889 --> 00:03:26.009 And before you know it, we had a workshop. Oh, 00:03:26.030 --> 00:03:29.490 amazing. Yeah, exactly. Like this is so great. 00:03:29.629 --> 00:03:31.870 I'm just sitting here and people can't see me 00:03:31.870 --> 00:03:33.210 because it's a podcast and I have to remember 00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:35.389 that. But I'm sitting here in awe because both 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:38.330 of you are incredible people in this field. And 00:03:38.330 --> 00:03:40.569 it's honestly an honor to have you here on the 00:03:40.569 --> 00:03:43.129 podcast. All right, let's start at the beginning. 00:03:43.250 --> 00:03:46.150 What actually inspired you to team up and create 00:03:46.150 --> 00:03:49.280 this new workshop? So we talk about this all 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:50.979 the time, Julie and I, when we do our workshops 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:54.259 is school age is a really funny age because when 00:03:54.259 --> 00:03:57.039 you go to school to be an ECE. There's a really 00:03:57.039 --> 00:03:59.900 big focus specifically on preschool. I would 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:03.000 say even more so than any other age group. And 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.599 then, you know, a bit of kindergarten, some toddlers, 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:08.400 very little infant training. I know in BC, they 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:10.199 actually specifically have infant and toddler 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:12.680 training, which I think is incredible. We don't 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:14.620 have that here in Ontario. It's kind of lumped 00:04:14.620 --> 00:04:16.860 together. But there's nothing really specific 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.160 for school age. We know that as early childhood 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:21.379 educators, we're quote unquote trained for zero 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:24.209 to 12. But are we really trained zero to 12? 00:04:24.449 --> 00:04:27.290 I mean, most of us, our first jobs are school 00:04:27.290 --> 00:04:31.310 age, but our goal is usually to move out of school 00:04:31.310 --> 00:04:33.170 age into the next. And it shouldn't be that. 00:04:33.250 --> 00:04:36.209 School age is, if not more important than the 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:39.379 others, because... One, it is such a vast age 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:42.720 range, but also those grades four, five, and 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.560 sixes, they're in a weird stage of life. They're 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:47.939 really struggling with that sense of belonging. 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:50.579 And we make this assumption because they're our 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:52.819 older age group that they're supposed to know 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:54.300 certain things. And while they're supposed to 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:56.490 know more than a preschooler. They are trying 00:04:56.490 --> 00:04:58.430 to find their way and their sense of belonging 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:00.829 more than any of the other age groups, in my 00:05:00.829 --> 00:05:03.089 opinion, because they're not teenagers yet, but 00:05:03.089 --> 00:05:05.730 they're no longer little kids. So they're in 00:05:05.730 --> 00:05:08.970 that in -between stage, which is why I love, 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:10.529 I don't like to say this all the time. They're 00:05:10.529 --> 00:05:12.370 also our most challenging because they have the 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:14.949 most attitude because they are testing us to 00:05:14.949 --> 00:05:17.089 see where they fit in the world. And that's one 00:05:17.089 --> 00:05:19.189 of the big pushes for making this workshop is 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:23.149 because it's not misbehavior. It's not, they're 00:05:23.149 --> 00:05:26.069 not out to get you. They are trying to figure 00:05:26.069 --> 00:05:29.709 out who they are and where they fit in. And when 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:32.009 we can lead with empathy, which is a big part 00:05:32.009 --> 00:05:34.529 of our workshop and what Julie and I do in our 00:05:34.529 --> 00:05:38.089 work as school age educators, is just that reminder 00:05:38.089 --> 00:05:40.550 that they're still kids. Yes, they want to be 00:05:40.550 --> 00:05:42.629 teenagers. They can't wait to be teenagers. But 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:44.410 at the heart of it, they're still kids trying 00:05:44.410 --> 00:05:47.170 to figure out where they belong. Yes. OK, you 00:05:47.170 --> 00:05:49.889 both have said so much that I wanted to just 00:05:49.889 --> 00:05:51.589 digress a little bit. First, you're absolutely 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:54.209 right. School age is we often talk about how 00:05:54.209 --> 00:05:56.490 they are a stepping stone. Educators come in 00:05:56.490 --> 00:05:59.310 and they're like, OK, I'll do the crappy split 00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:01.790 shift and then I'll get a real job. And then 00:06:01.790 --> 00:06:05.079 you also have families who are like. they don't 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:06.720 really message all the time to say that their 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:08.060 kid's not going to be there. They don't always 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:10.180 stay in chat at the end of the day to find out 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:12.300 how their kid did in school age. And there's 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:14.660 so many flaws, I'll say, to the system of school 00:06:14.660 --> 00:06:16.899 age. And you touched on that. But the biggest 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:20.220 thing is 100 % that they're looking for that 00:06:20.220 --> 00:06:21.839 guidance and they're looking for their place 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:24.079 in the world, especially that age group that 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:27.100 you touched on, because not only are they fighting 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:30.779 with themselves on who they are and the changes 00:06:30.779 --> 00:06:33.240 that's happening and the world around them and 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:35.300 what groups they... fit in but now they're also 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:38.300 deciding how much they can push back with their 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:40.079 families how much they can push back with the 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:41.660 teachers and now how much they can push back 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:43.439 with you and they're looking for this safe place 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:45.459 to be themselves they're also really wanting 00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:47.779 to just that to be themselves and be able to 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:49.779 explore different things so they can find out 00:06:49.779 --> 00:06:51.759 who they are it's just so incredible that you 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:54.120 you said like it's not it's not a bad behavior 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:57.310 it's not them pushing because they're not good 00:06:57.310 --> 00:06:59.569 kids and a lot of them have backgrounds that 00:06:59.569 --> 00:07:01.529 we don't know about a lot of them might this 00:07:01.529 --> 00:07:03.889 might be their only place that they feel like 00:07:03.889 --> 00:07:05.449 they belong and that's why it's so important 00:07:05.449 --> 00:07:08.009 i think so the title of your workshop is guidance 00:07:08.009 --> 00:07:10.850 strategies what does that mean to you in a practical 00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:14.470 day -to -day term julie well thinking about ways 00:07:14.470 --> 00:07:16.189 that we can support the children when they come 00:07:16.189 --> 00:07:18.939 into the program and i think one of the Starting 00:07:18.939 --> 00:07:20.300 off points that Carla and I talk about in the 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:22.620 workshop is understanding the importance of an 00:07:22.620 --> 00:07:24.860 unstructured environment where they're coming 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:28.560 out of this superstructure all day. And how do 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:31.319 we give children coming into a school age environment 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:34.860 choices and making sure that there's an important 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:39.110 emphasis on the learn, play and relax. And we 00:07:39.110 --> 00:07:42.149 don't always think about the relax piece and 00:07:42.149 --> 00:07:45.470 how important that is. I remember even as a child 00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:48.930 being so exhausted at the end of a school day. 00:07:49.029 --> 00:07:52.170 And whether a child is in school age for 45 minutes, 00:07:52.189 --> 00:07:55.610 an hour, two hours, we have to have that balance. 00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:59.029 And to think about the reaction you might get 00:07:59.029 --> 00:08:00.709 from a child if it's, okay, we're going to go 00:08:00.709 --> 00:08:02.750 right into homework time as soon as we get there. 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:05.649 you might see some adverse behaviors just because 00:08:05.649 --> 00:08:07.649 you're asking them to go into more structure. 00:08:07.829 --> 00:08:10.629 So thinking about the environment, thinking about 00:08:10.629 --> 00:08:13.009 the choices that they have within the space, 00:08:13.069 --> 00:08:16.149 the individual needs of every child. And do the 00:08:16.149 --> 00:08:19.750 educators see? the children as individuals, which 00:08:19.750 --> 00:08:23.089 I think is so very important. And how are you 00:08:23.089 --> 00:08:26.370 choosing to connect with the children? And do 00:08:26.370 --> 00:08:29.810 you understand the needs of every child? And 00:08:29.810 --> 00:08:31.689 Jamie, what we were talking about before we came 00:08:31.689 --> 00:08:33.789 on too, is when from the educator perspective, 00:08:34.110 --> 00:08:37.070 making sure that educators stay in these roles 00:08:37.070 --> 00:08:40.110 and that there's not that continual revolving 00:08:40.110 --> 00:08:43.149 door, because you can see behaviors just because 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:45.590 of turnover that don't need to be there as well. 00:08:46.059 --> 00:08:49.899 Oh, yes, exactly. Educators are a huge, a huge 00:08:49.899 --> 00:08:51.879 asset when they get in and they believe that 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:53.299 they're in the right spot and they know that 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:55.179 they're doing this because they're meant to be 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:56.700 here and they're not looking at it from that 00:08:56.700 --> 00:08:59.019 lens of a stepping stone or till they get something 00:08:59.019 --> 00:09:02.250 better. And I think that there's a lot. on a 00:09:02.250 --> 00:09:04.070 management level to make that better. But I also 00:09:04.070 --> 00:09:07.289 think that when people like you, Julie, and Carla 00:09:07.289 --> 00:09:10.009 come in and you're powerhousing and leaning for 00:09:10.009 --> 00:09:13.289 these rights of the educator and helping them 00:09:13.289 --> 00:09:15.309 along the way, I think that's when we can build 00:09:15.309 --> 00:09:18.210 this stamina for them and build this knowledge 00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:22.070 and advocate for the right of educators in the 00:09:22.070 --> 00:09:24.149 sense of keeping them in the school -age spots, 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:26.809 that it's manageable and we can do this because 00:09:26.809 --> 00:09:28.740 that's where they should be, right? educators 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:31.340 need confidence, right? They're in these situations 00:09:31.340 --> 00:09:34.659 and to feel comfortable about being in their 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:37.320 role. And how do we get them to feel prepared 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:39.899 to deal with some of these behaviors that might 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:42.940 be coming up? Strategies, information, changing 00:09:42.940 --> 00:09:45.870 of environment, changing of the schedule. that 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:47.850 they have. One of the most significant changes 00:09:47.850 --> 00:09:50.470 that I added into our school age program was 00:09:50.470 --> 00:09:52.970 we added in an open snack instead of a structured 00:09:52.970 --> 00:09:56.490 snack. So that one little tweak made a huge difference 00:09:56.490 --> 00:09:58.750 in even some of the behaviors that we were seeing 00:09:58.750 --> 00:10:01.830 cropping up. And I think as well that educators 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:03.850 have to believe in themselves and you have to 00:10:03.850 --> 00:10:05.549 tell yourself that you want to be here. Even 00:10:05.549 --> 00:10:07.769 if you know that really your calling is preschool 00:10:07.769 --> 00:10:10.960 or kindergarten, show up. as the school age educator. 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:13.440 Because the thing is, is that if your heart's 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:15.820 not a hundred percent in it, there's this funny 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:18.019 phenomenon that happens where the children seem 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:20.019 to subconsciously know it. And you are going 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:21.799 to have the worst teaching day of your entire 00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:24.220 career. And it is not going to be the children's 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:27.100 fault. I can promise you that it's really how 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:29.740 we show up. And there's, I wish I could remember 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:31.580 the study, but there's a study out there that 00:10:31.580 --> 00:10:34.000 says like the greeting that you give a child 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.019 can be noticed. The effects of the greeting can 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:38.480 be noticed within the first 10 minutes. So if 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:40.600 you are hustling and bustling, trying to put 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:42.200 out crap, trying to put out snack, trying to 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:44.080 do whatever, whatever, whatever at the beginning, 00:10:44.100 --> 00:10:46.519 and you just kind of give this quick like, hey, 00:10:46.580 --> 00:10:48.740 and you turn your back on the child and you're 00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:51.600 continuing to set up, you're missing that connection 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:55.799 opportunity to get a relationship with this student. 00:10:56.190 --> 00:10:59.110 So why should the student be like, hey, Ms. Ward, 00:10:59.250 --> 00:11:01.129 how's it going? If you're like, hey, and then 00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:03.149 you're too busy to even have a conversation with 00:11:03.149 --> 00:11:05.190 them. And I think that's such a big part. Like 00:11:05.190 --> 00:11:06.950 Julie already touched on the connection piece 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:10.190 a bit, but connection is everything. And we are 00:11:10.190 --> 00:11:13.250 so much better at doing it with the younger kids 00:11:13.250 --> 00:11:17.149 than we are with the hormonal middle school ager 00:11:17.149 --> 00:11:20.450 kids that have attitude. But the thing is, is 00:11:20.450 --> 00:11:23.370 that, yeah, they have attitude, but they need 00:11:23.370 --> 00:11:26.299 connection. And a reminder that someone cares 00:11:26.299 --> 00:11:30.139 so much, not more than or less than our preschoolers, 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:34.240 but they still need it so, so much. Yeah, absolutely. 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:37.960 I agree 100 % that the greeting is a huge part 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:40.320 in how you present yourself in the program. Carla, 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:41.980 we've talked a lot about manifesting, how you're 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:44.440 manifesting this program to be. If you're waking 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:45.759 up in the morning, you're saying, this is going 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:47.440 to be a really bad day. Oh, great. They're going 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:49.059 to talk back to me. Oh, great. They're not going 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:50.379 to listen. Then you're going to come to work 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:52.570 and it's going to be a really bad day. But it's 00:11:52.570 --> 00:11:56.090 all about your attitude and it's all about how 00:11:56.090 --> 00:11:58.700 you make those kids feel. As an educator, if 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:00.120 I came to work and my supervisor didn't even 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:01.720 look up off her desk and said, hey, how's it 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:04.279 going? But like was focusing on her work, it 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:06.299 would suck. I wouldn't want that. So when kids 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:07.899 come in, stop what you're doing, walk over to 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:09.639 the door and say, hey, how's it going? That's 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.600 also how you build those connections with their 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:14.000 families. And that's another important aspect 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.360 of school age, because you need to use those 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:18.440 micro times that you have with the family to 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:20.240 build those connections, because it's the same 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.200 as preschool and toddler and infant. When you 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:25.080 have those connections with the families, you're 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:26.700 going to have those connections with the kids. 00:12:27.230 --> 00:12:28.870 I love the example, Carla, that you share in 00:12:28.870 --> 00:12:30.889 our workshop about the clipboard and about how 00:12:30.889 --> 00:12:34.110 the clipboard can be like a barrier to connection 00:12:34.110 --> 00:12:36.789 with children or school age. You know, you're 00:12:36.789 --> 00:12:38.230 picking them up from school and you're taking 00:12:38.230 --> 00:12:41.350 everybody off your clipboard. But is that going 00:12:41.350 --> 00:12:43.289 to be a barrier for even that greeting or that 00:12:43.289 --> 00:12:45.570 initial connection or that first time you see 00:12:45.570 --> 00:12:47.309 the child? What is that experience going to be 00:12:47.309 --> 00:12:49.470 like if an educator is hiding behind a clipboard, 00:12:49.570 --> 00:12:51.870 just checking everybody off, not even really 00:12:51.870 --> 00:12:55.450 making an effort for that? Hi, how are you? How 00:12:55.450 --> 00:12:57.779 is your day? That's going to have a huge impact 00:12:57.779 --> 00:13:00.840 on the child. Yeah. There's a huge, there's so 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:02.399 much to be said about nonverbal communication 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:04.940 as much as verbal communication. And we also 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:06.799 have to check our own bias in the sense that, 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:08.820 you know, if let's say your back's turned for 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:11.059 20 seconds and you hear an altercation behind 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:15.100 you, do you go? And you have already assumed 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:18.480 who was at the forefront of that conflict without 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:21.139 actually having all the facts. I've done it. 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:23.360 I started out as a school age educator. I was 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.700 a school age educator for many years and I totally 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:28.500 did it early on in my career. And it doesn't 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.399 serve you as the educator. It doesn't help with 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:33.960 building trust between you and the child or you 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:37.200 and the other children. And it makes for a really, 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:40.480 really long school year if you don't check yourself 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:44.440 before you check the kids. Yes. Oh my goodness. 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:47.320 What I'm hearing collectively is this all comes 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:49.740 down to confidence. Obviously connection too, 00:13:49.779 --> 00:13:51.360 but it's also the confidence of the educator. 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:54.879 So when you talk about navigating conflict with 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:57.100 confidence, what's a common mistake educators 00:13:57.100 --> 00:13:59.580 make during conflict moment? So you just said 00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:01.960 a good one, Carla. Do you have any more to say 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:04.399 on that? No, I was going to say control because 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:07.740 there's a difference between confidence and control. 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:12.289 And this is because so many newer graduates take 00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:15.409 on school age, you're still establishing who 00:14:15.409 --> 00:14:17.830 you are as an educator. And I'm speaking from 00:14:17.830 --> 00:14:20.610 my own personal experience. I came in, I'm the 00:14:20.610 --> 00:14:24.299 educator. So I'm in charge. You're not. And I 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:26.399 would get into these battles. And listen, if 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:28.940 you have ever gotten into an argument with a 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:31.360 child whose brain is not fully developed, which 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:34.700 is all of them, you've lost. There is nothing 00:14:34.700 --> 00:14:39.179 to gain trying to establish control. It's not 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:41.399 worth it. And I think, have you slowed the situation 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:43.740 down enough to understand the point of view of 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:46.340 the child? Or are we assuming we know? Well, 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.320 it must be because of this, or I'm sure it's 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.529 that. Well, do you know for sure? And I think 00:14:50.529 --> 00:14:52.470 that takes confidence to actually be like, oh, 00:14:52.509 --> 00:14:54.769 wait, I need to take a minute to really check 00:14:54.769 --> 00:14:57.610 in and understand the situation. And that's not 00:14:57.610 --> 00:15:00.570 something that you often always see. I know that 00:15:00.570 --> 00:15:02.950 I had to learn to sort of cool my jets a little 00:15:02.950 --> 00:15:06.049 bit instead of just jumping in and solving a 00:15:06.049 --> 00:15:08.370 situation. I needed to understand the situation 00:15:08.370 --> 00:15:11.470 from the child's perspective, too. And I think 00:15:11.470 --> 00:15:14.690 that is an important situation to show children 00:15:14.690 --> 00:15:17.000 respect in that manner. Tell me how you're feeling. 00:15:17.139 --> 00:15:19.519 What happened here? Let's understand. Let's work 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:21.519 this out together instead of jumping in and trying 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.700 to save the day. Understand the full context 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:27.000 of the situation. And I think apologizing. That's 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.860 something that I really had to learn. Again, 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:32.700 as I matured, I mean, my brain wasn't fully developed 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:34.679 when I became a school -age educator either. 00:15:35.629 --> 00:15:37.769 Being okay with apologizing. You've never seen 00:15:37.769 --> 00:15:39.909 a child more shocked when you're like, I am so 00:15:39.909 --> 00:15:41.830 sorry that I lost my cool. Because you are going 00:15:41.830 --> 00:15:44.730 to lose your cool at least once. Like, it's unfortunate, 00:15:45.049 --> 00:15:47.769 but it's going to happen. But apologize. Because 00:15:47.769 --> 00:15:50.350 your brain is fully developed. You are a full 00:15:50.350 --> 00:15:52.509 -grown adult. And when you apologize, you're 00:15:52.509 --> 00:15:55.370 modeling, hey, it's okay to screw up. But here's 00:15:55.370 --> 00:15:58.029 how we rectify the situation. Like, I'm so sorry 00:15:58.029 --> 00:16:01.330 that I assumed you did ABC. Thank you for clarifying 00:16:01.330 --> 00:16:04.379 with me. Like, again, it's that control, right? 00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:08.159 Putting that pride aside. So it's huge. Yeah, 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.539 you guys said so much there that that is important. 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:13.879 The key words I'm taking away are understanding, 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.799 empathy, still connection. But I also believe 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.539 that when there is respect, the other thing I 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:22.600 think is that being respectful, you said that 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.059 being respectful to children, but it's giving 00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:27.179 them that the time of day, understanding that 00:16:27.179 --> 00:16:30.299 that they are. there are humans, there are people 00:16:30.299 --> 00:16:32.659 too, and that they deserve that respect. And 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:34.960 it's not coming into the situation demanding 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.620 it. It's working your way up to earn it. So we 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:39.500 talked a little bit about how school -aged kids 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:42.580 are in such a unique developmental space. We 00:16:42.580 --> 00:16:44.539 talked a little bit about the emotional needs 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:48.039 educators have to put forth, such as connection 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:50.960 and such. What else do you think that educators 00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:53.159 are missing with emotional needs in school -aged 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:55.980 programs? I think the resources. Like, do you 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:57.899 have enough resources within your program that 00:16:57.899 --> 00:16:59.879 are going to support children in being able to 00:16:59.879 --> 00:17:04.900 articulate larger emotions and helping them to 00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:07.700 be able to understand how to articulate those 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:10.259 larger emotions in a safe way? And do we put 00:17:10.259 --> 00:17:13.059 a high emphasis in that or into that, into the 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:14.740 resources that we have in the program space? 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:17.579 And there's so many things that we can do to 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:19.480 support children, because not all children are 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:21.720 going to sit there and say to you, I'm feeling 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:24.579 very jealous today. Or, you know, this child 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:27.440 irritated me because of this. They're not going 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:30.680 to do that. Right. So we have to have resources 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:34.140 and we also have to develop ways within the program 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:37.069 space. So that children have the language to 00:17:37.069 --> 00:17:41.009 be able to say how they're feeling and the degrees 00:17:41.009 --> 00:17:43.930 of that upset. Giving them the tools to do that. 00:17:44.029 --> 00:17:46.390 Yeah. Yeah. And I think that also comes with 00:17:46.390 --> 00:17:48.890 honesty on yourself. Like, if you're feeling 00:17:48.890 --> 00:17:51.170 frustrated, if you're feeling irritated, it's 00:17:51.170 --> 00:17:53.009 okay to say, you know what? I'm feeling really 00:17:53.009 --> 00:17:55.430 frustrated right now. I know I'm feeling frustrated 00:17:55.430 --> 00:17:57.930 because A, B, and C. So I need to take a minute 00:17:57.930 --> 00:17:59.910 before I address the situation. And then it's 00:17:59.910 --> 00:18:02.289 giving them that you're setting a boundary for 00:18:02.289 --> 00:18:04.049 yourself, but you're also telling them and explaining 00:18:04.049 --> 00:18:06.069 them like, okay, it's okay when I feel like this 00:18:06.069 --> 00:18:08.349 to say something. So if I say something to you 00:18:08.349 --> 00:18:10.730 and you're feeling frustrated, you're allowed 00:18:10.730 --> 00:18:12.569 to tell me you're feeling frustrated. You're 00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:17.039 allowed to say, I'm mad. because xyz and i really 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:18.680 love how carla was talking about modeling because 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.740 modeling is so important right and we can't help 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:24.160 these expectations of the children to do this 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:26.700 and that if we're not willing to do this and 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:30.920 that so we have to make sure that we see how 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.099 important modeling is in our practice and really 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:37.079 understand the value to that an emotional regulation 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:41.059 has really been a big topic of conversation in 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:44.140 2025. We know that students are really struggling 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:46.960 right now to emotionally regulate. So much of 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:49.440 that is because of technology, the overstimulation 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:52.180 of technology and, you know, fast moving video 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:56.019 games and YouTube videos. And so we almost have 00:18:56.019 --> 00:18:58.200 to pre -teach a lot of the skills. For school 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:00.059 age, one of my favorite books is How Full Is 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:02.430 Your Bucket? But I also like to teach things 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:04.410 like have a greeting circle, you know, maybe 00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:06.609 not right away when they come in, let them come 00:19:06.609 --> 00:19:08.869 in, let them decompress for a minute, but then 00:19:08.869 --> 00:19:11.630 have a circle. Maybe you do yoga. They don't 00:19:11.630 --> 00:19:13.410 have to participate if they don't want to, but 00:19:13.410 --> 00:19:15.289 at least they're in the same room as that calm 00:19:15.289 --> 00:19:17.750 energy. If yoga is not your thing, can you lead 00:19:17.750 --> 00:19:20.829 a meditation doing tapping? Tapping is amazing. 00:19:21.049 --> 00:19:23.450 And I always used to joke when I did school age 00:19:23.450 --> 00:19:26.289 that I used to do with my school agers, I should 00:19:26.289 --> 00:19:29.599 say, is. I'm a pretty high -strung person. If 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:31.619 you know me, you know that is a thousand and 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:34.099 ten percent accurate, but I get my yoga voice. 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:36.319 And my sister came to visit once and she's like, 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:38.960 what is happening right now? Because my yoga 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:42.559 voice goes, and let's take a deep breath in and 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:46.619 breathe out. And it is amazing how when you control 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:50.119 yourself and your voice and your emotions, how 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:53.150 the whole mood changes. Haim Ganot's got this 00:19:53.150 --> 00:19:55.029 amazing quote that starts with, like, I have 00:19:55.029 --> 00:19:57.309 come to the frightening conclusion that I am 00:19:57.309 --> 00:20:00.970 the deciding element. And you really are. As 00:20:00.970 --> 00:20:04.089 the educator, you are the deciding element on 00:20:04.089 --> 00:20:06.150 how the day's going to go. Does it mean it's 00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:08.450 going to be perfect? Of course not. They're school 00:20:08.450 --> 00:20:11.450 -agers. But does it mean that it can be great? 00:20:12.150 --> 00:20:15.490 Absolutely. But you get to decide how you react 00:20:15.490 --> 00:20:18.940 to situations. Yeah. And it's your reaction that 00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:21.859 will escalate the situation or diffuse it. You're 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:24.460 you're 100 percent right. And I find especially 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:26.619 well, I'm not going to say I was going to say 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:28.640 especially new educators coming in, but it's 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:30.799 not. It's everyone. When you get to that burnt 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.039 out spot or you get to that spot where you just 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.900 feel like you can't do it anymore, you're shorter 00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:36.960 tempered and you're you're stressing out more. 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:39.740 But you're bringing that into the room and you're 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:41.859 you're escalating the situation before it even 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:44.480 starts. Absolutely. Something that works really 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:46.519 well and the kids always laugh when I do it, 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.059 but like if I find I'm getting myself overstimulated, 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:50.700 like let's say something is really challenging 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:53.339 and I'm getting frustrated and obviously I want 00:20:53.339 --> 00:20:55.799 to diffuse the situation, then they will literally 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:57.859 see me shake my body and I'm like, I can do hard 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:00.559 things. I'm like, we're smart. We can do this. 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:02.940 We can do hard things. And they always laugh 00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:04.559 because they're like, what? I'm like, no, we 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:06.559 can do hard things. And it's amazing when you 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:09.859 say it often enough. how they will start to say 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:11.740 it back. Like, okay, Miss Ward, you're right. 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:13.519 We can do hard things. Like, come on. And they 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:15.279 start saying it to each other. And you're like, 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:18.920 oh my gosh, like you do become. their internal 00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:21.319 narrative, because they are with us in the mornings. 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:23.759 Some of them don't like barely say hello to their 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:26.039 parents before they get to before school. And 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:27.740 some of them see their parents for dinner and 00:21:27.740 --> 00:21:29.920 then it's bad if they're not off to, you know, 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:32.220 after school activities already. And it's no 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:34.779 fault. I mean, that's just the way we are right 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:36.880 now in the phase of, you know, parenting and 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:39.160 child care. But then let's be the good internal 00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:42.440 voice to help those parents out. Yeah, for sure. 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:46.640 I'm wondering, we were discussing a lot about 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.500 inside the classroom and teacher confidence, 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:50.660 but I'm wondering, what about the activities 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:54.019 that educators put out for the children or the 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:57.900 resources that they give options to children? 00:21:58.019 --> 00:22:01.160 Because it's such a vast age range, do you think 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:03.799 what educators are putting into the room affects 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:07.119 their behavior? Oh, I would say 100%. I mean, 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:10.400 there's a world beyond air hockey and UNO in 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:14.500 school age programs. So when we think about all 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:17.619 these different areas in the program space, whether 00:22:17.619 --> 00:22:20.740 it's creative outlets, like three or four different 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:25.180 opportunities to do something that supports children's 00:22:25.180 --> 00:22:28.839 creativity within the environment. Also, thinking 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:30.759 about what the children's interests are or the 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:33.940 people, you know, what's going on for them and 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:36.359 then creating that responsive curriculum within 00:22:36.359 --> 00:22:39.160 that environment, having a physical outlet. Some 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:41.160 children, Carla and I were teaching a workshop 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:42.599 and one of the participants was talking about 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:45.579 this isn't the right time for competitive games 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:48.579 for our group. So I was like, OK, we were like, 00:22:48.660 --> 00:22:51.180 then don't do them right now. You don't you know, 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:53.019 this isn't the right time. Understanding the 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:55.240 needs of your group. thinking about your space. 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:57.740 Maybe you're going to work on some drama and 00:22:57.740 --> 00:23:00.240 doing a project that's progressive, whether you're 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:02.420 going to develop a play or something like that, 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:06.480 thinking about what really is important to the 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:09.029 children within your space. and getting creative 00:23:09.029 --> 00:23:11.950 and doing things too. Like I remember with a 00:23:11.950 --> 00:23:14.150 school age group, one of my favorite experiences 00:23:14.150 --> 00:23:16.869 I did on a pro D day was taking them to a community 00:23:16.869 --> 00:23:21.710 center that had a ceramic studio and a senior 00:23:21.710 --> 00:23:24.210 center had a ceramic program in there. And I 00:23:24.210 --> 00:23:26.690 took them to do ceramics with the seniors and 00:23:26.690 --> 00:23:28.750 it became a tradition with us. And we would go 00:23:28.750 --> 00:23:31.490 once or twice a year and they loved it. So thinking 00:23:31.490 --> 00:23:33.890 about what's also available in the community 00:23:33.890 --> 00:23:36.470 that you can connect the program to as well. 00:23:36.549 --> 00:23:39.480 Yeah. And in. the classroom, it's really hard 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:41.339 as a school -age educator if you have to set 00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:43.420 up and take down your classroom every day. So 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:45.839 you have to be really intentional about what 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.940 you're putting in, but then also being aware 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:51.380 that you have such a broad age range. So I always 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:54.859 say go for blocks and loose parts and open -ended 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:57.539 art materials because the way a grade five uses 00:23:57.539 --> 00:23:59.980 loose parts is going to be completely different 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:02.960 to the way a grade one uses the same loose parts, 00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:05.339 but they're both having their developmental needs 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:09.000 met. And it also opens up to collaboration and 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:11.240 learning that will happen naturally as well as 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:14.160 conversation. So because, you know, you've got 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:16.440 to set up and take down. But like Julie said, 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:18.859 make sure you've also got the physical even inside, 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:21.759 whether that's a trampoline or, you know, some 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:24.960 movement center or a yoga mat. Something. Yeah, 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:28.180 something. Oh, I love I love listening to you 00:24:28.180 --> 00:24:31.819 talk about this topic. I'm a little biased, but 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:35.710 I love it. Yeah. There's so many workshops out 00:24:35.710 --> 00:24:39.710 there about spaces for preschool and toddler 00:24:39.710 --> 00:24:43.289 children. I think that there's definitely some 00:24:43.289 --> 00:24:46.069 room for consideration and organization when 00:24:46.069 --> 00:24:48.890 it comes to school age programs. And it is, it's 00:24:48.890 --> 00:24:51.730 understanding that. The activities that you're 00:24:51.730 --> 00:24:54.009 offering or the resources you're offering to 00:24:54.009 --> 00:24:56.470 school age can be similar to that of preschool. 00:24:56.630 --> 00:24:59.710 Some of those kids are only three and four going 00:24:59.710 --> 00:25:02.190 into kindergarten. And then the ones that are 00:25:02.190 --> 00:25:04.970 older, there's other ways that they can engage 00:25:04.970 --> 00:25:07.210 with the same materials. Like you said, loose 00:25:07.210 --> 00:25:09.190 parts. I think that's an excellent idea. But 00:25:09.190 --> 00:25:12.190 put as much consideration in it that you would 00:25:12.190 --> 00:25:15.240 put in any other room. And also... I love school 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:17.880 age because it opens up doors to things that 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:20.259 you can't do in preschool. For example, when 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:22.319 I accidentally ended up teaching at a private 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:24.970 school, long story. is we landed up having grouped 00:25:24.970 --> 00:25:26.730 age groups because it was a brand new private 00:25:26.730 --> 00:25:30.029 school. So we did have grade twos to grade sevens 00:25:30.029 --> 00:25:32.869 in the same classroom. That's really hard to 00:25:32.869 --> 00:25:35.430 do any group activities. But something that was 00:25:35.430 --> 00:25:38.789 so beautiful is chapter books. You can't do chapter 00:25:38.789 --> 00:25:41.230 books in preschool and maybe a little bit in 00:25:41.230 --> 00:25:43.730 kindergarten. But because we're working on emotional 00:25:43.730 --> 00:25:46.170 regulation, stories like The Lion, the Witch 00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:48.490 and the Wardrobe, The Witches, The Lion, the 00:25:48.490 --> 00:25:49.769 Witch and the Wardrobe is great because it shares 00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:52.869 different perspectives. But it gets... the kids 00:25:52.869 --> 00:25:54.450 wanting to come back to be like, well, what happened 00:25:54.450 --> 00:25:56.309 on the next chapter? Because you have these kids 00:25:56.309 --> 00:25:59.880 all year for the most part. If not. for six years 00:25:59.880 --> 00:26:01.680 for some of them. Like some of our kids stay 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:04.119 with us forever. So chapter books are such a 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:06.940 neat way to bring that in because they want to 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:08.559 like, they think about the book all day, like, 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:10.460 well, what happened next? And if you are like 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:13.140 me and like to do voices, The Witches is a fantastic 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:15.720 book to do because they can't wait to show up 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:17.839 to know what happened next. Like kids that can 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.720 never sit, quote unquote, can never sit, suddenly 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:23.259 are sitting for an hour while I read a chapter. 00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:25.839 Like it's amazing when you introduce it in the 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:28.619 right way. Yes. Back when I was in school age 00:26:28.619 --> 00:26:31.920 full time, we would read books while they got 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:34.039 ready to go to school. We used to walk from our 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:35.880 center to the school. So while they got ready, 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:38.119 we would read a chapter of the book. And I introduced 00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:40.839 them to books like The Breadwinner, which is 00:26:40.839 --> 00:26:43.519 a little controversial, but it gives them these 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:46.920 outlooks of a world that's not where they are 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:48.779 right now. It gives them that outdoor perspective. 00:26:49.259 --> 00:26:50.680 Oh, yeah. I did Chicken Soup for the Teenage 00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:54.119 Soul way back in the day. Well, then you know 00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:57.509 what I mean. Yeah. Oh, okay. Just a couple more 00:26:57.509 --> 00:26:59.769 questions and then I'll let you guys go. But 00:26:59.769 --> 00:27:02.730 how is your approach with this workshop different 00:27:02.730 --> 00:27:04.950 than your typical quote unquote behavior management 00:27:04.950 --> 00:27:07.289 training? Julie and I don't sugarcoat anything. 00:27:08.109 --> 00:27:10.549 Let's just go with that. Like Julie and I are 00:27:10.549 --> 00:27:12.910 very aware the school age is not all sunshine 00:27:12.910 --> 00:27:15.789 and rainbows. But we do call you out a little 00:27:15.789 --> 00:27:18.750 bit as the educator, but we also call out, you 00:27:18.750 --> 00:27:21.450 know, the lack of respect that school age educators 00:27:21.450 --> 00:27:23.890 get. Like we're very, very aware because Julie 00:27:23.890 --> 00:27:25.750 and I've done it. We've been those educators, 00:27:25.910 --> 00:27:28.410 but we've also seen what's on the other side 00:27:28.410 --> 00:27:31.490 of the rainbow where when you start really focusing 00:27:31.490 --> 00:27:34.490 in on your own reflective practices, just how 00:27:34.490 --> 00:27:37.359 much fun school age can be. And I think another 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:39.440 difference with our workshop is it's not Carla 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.839 and I talking at you, it's Carla and I talking 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.900 with the participants. So it's really like a 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:48.059 conversation and we want to hear from them. What 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:50.339 is your biggest challenge? Let's talk about why, 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:52.400 what could be the contributing factors to these 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:54.960 challenges that you're having? And for them to 00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:57.660 walk away from the workshop going, okay, now 00:27:57.660 --> 00:27:59.759 I have some options. Now I have some choices. 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:02.160 I have some things to really, really think about 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:05.140 in my practice. And we do talk about development 00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:07.480 in there too, which I think is unusual and is 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:09.940 different. Not a lot of school age talk about 00:28:09.940 --> 00:28:13.539 development and how to really understand where 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:16.960 children are developmentally at that time. Oh, 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:20.920 I love it. Yes. I think that this is just so 00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:24.180 good for educators. I think that it's important 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:27.440 that you are leaving educators that attend this 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:30.480 workshop with that. firsthand experience and 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:33.259 maneuvering it for who's ever in the group. So 00:28:33.259 --> 00:28:36.640 whatever happens is based on the educators that 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:38.539 come and join this training, which is incredible. 00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:41.420 All right. Why don't you tell us a little bit 00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:44.220 about the live training format? You just touched 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:46.680 on a little bit, but specifically what can participants 00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:50.220 expect from these two hours on Zoom? So it's 00:28:50.220 --> 00:28:52.420 a great two -hour workshop where Carla and I 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:55.680 go through lots of different areas, as I said. 00:28:55.880 --> 00:29:01.220 So it's on August the 16th, 12 to 2 p .m. Eastern, 00:29:01.579 --> 00:29:05.579 9 to 11 a .m. Pacific Standard. And it's just 00:29:05.579 --> 00:29:08.450 fun. And we talk about so many different areas 00:29:08.450 --> 00:29:11.009 of school age in this area of guidance. You get 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:15.049 lots of tips, lots of time to brainstorm with 00:29:15.049 --> 00:29:18.190 the other participants. And it's just lots of 00:29:18.190 --> 00:29:21.349 fun, as I said. Yeah. And I think as well, it's 00:29:21.349 --> 00:29:23.869 you feel like you're not alone because I think 00:29:23.869 --> 00:29:26.250 that's something that school age educators, you 00:29:26.250 --> 00:29:27.930 know, you feel like, especially if you're the 00:29:27.930 --> 00:29:29.930 only educator in the room, because you can have 00:29:29.930 --> 00:29:32.049 so many children when you're the school age educator, 00:29:32.230 --> 00:29:34.829 you can have so many on your own is you don't 00:29:34.829 --> 00:29:38.059 know if it's. typical for certain behaviors. 00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:40.640 And I can promise you, yes, it is typical because 00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:42.579 Julie and I have heard some of the wildest stories. 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:44.880 We've done this workshop so many times and we've 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:48.019 heard some wild ones, but they're not even the 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:50.299 first ones that we've heard that are that wild. 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:53.160 So you leave feeling, you know, you feel seen 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:56.799 as the educator, but you also leave feeling armed 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:00.660 to self -reflect on as yourself as the educator, 00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:04.059 self -reflect on your program, and then show 00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:08.109 up as your best self. Perfect. And where can 00:30:08.109 --> 00:30:11.069 people sign up and how can they stay connected 00:30:11.069 --> 00:30:13.470 to both of you? Carla, why don't you start? So 00:30:13.470 --> 00:30:17.109 you can head to either Inspired ECE or EL Foundations 00:30:17.109 --> 00:30:19.789 on Instagram, head to the link in our bio, or 00:30:19.789 --> 00:30:22.569 it's going to be below this podcast. It sure 00:30:22.569 --> 00:30:26.380 is. And Julie, if people want to follow you, 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:30.000 it is inspirededucator on Instagram, right? Inspired 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:33.140 ECE, yeah, on Instagram. Inspired ECE. And any 00:30:33.140 --> 00:30:35.119 final thoughts for our listeners who are passionate 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:37.480 about school -age programs and want to advocate 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.140 for more support in their roles? Do that. Advocate 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:43.180 for more support in your roles. But also, you 00:30:43.180 --> 00:30:45.480 know, find like -minded educators, you know, 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.240 join organizations. Like if you connect with 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:50.059 somebody at our workshop, you know, find out 00:30:50.059 --> 00:30:52.099 what their social media is, connect with them. 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:54.259 I mean, heck. The three of us, that's how we 00:30:54.259 --> 00:30:56.259 all know each other, is through social media 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:59.279 because we all had something to contribute to 00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:03.380 helping each other. And so use social media as 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:06.579 a way to find your people because it can be really 00:31:06.579 --> 00:31:09.119 lonely, but it doesn't have to be. I couldn't 00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:11.579 agree more. I always say find your circle. Find 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:14.539 your circle of like -minded people that are there 00:31:14.539 --> 00:31:17.359 to teach you and support you and laugh with you 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:21.000 as well. Oh, beautiful. Thank you so, so, so 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:23.480 much, Julie and Carla. I really appreciate you 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:25.619 being here. Thank you, listeners, for joining 00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:29.619 us for this awesome episode. And I will add all 00:31:29.619 --> 00:31:31.319 of this great information into the show notes. 00:31:31.339 --> 00:31:35.599 Be sure to get your spot now. You do not want 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:40.259 to miss this live Zoom workshop. Again, Saturday, 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:44.180 August 16th on Zoom. and its guidance strategies 00:31:44.180 --> 00:31:46.880 for school age, support emotional growth, and 00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:49.119 navigate conflict with confidence. Thank you 00:31:49.119 --> 00:31:57.690 so much and have a beautiful day. Thank you. 00:31:57.710 --> 00:32:00.170 Amazing listeners for your support. Don't forget 00:32:00.170 --> 00:32:02.549 to follow me on Instagram at Miss Jamie underscore 00:32:02.549 --> 00:32:05.750 R -E -C -E. Give a star rating and leave a review. 00:32:05.990 --> 00:32:08.529 Have something you want to hear about in relation 00:32:08.529 --> 00:32:10.670 to before and after school programs or full day 00:32:10.670 --> 00:32:13.829 summer camp? DM me or comment. Again, thank you 00:32:13.829 --> 00:32:15.269 so much and happy learning.