Pass by any mirror and you'll experience the same as they fluff their hair.

The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories turned me into a reader when I came to Canada at the age of 9 and discovered my school library. Flashlight and books under the covers far past my bedtime as I read every single book in those series that were available in the library.

The Master and Margerita (Bhulgakov) and Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children (A Bolker of Bookers winner). Brilliant writing that often had me pondering, "So this is what the presence of genius feels like."

Yes. I think we might have been on the dame track. I added some more detail to help others understand. New teachers especially.

It ia not direction they need. It is a variety of materials, observations that lead the educators to include the right materials and provocations. Adults need to observe more than direct. Trust the students to be capable and competent. They will lead the way.

Our job as early years educators is to ADD to their play. Not interfere. Right now some my students were twlling stories to each other. I puy out loose parts, toy animals, building blocks on a table. I didn't tell them how or why to use them. They are making stories and writing about them now.

Free play is the most powerful type of play. Self-chosen, self-directed, without adult interference. Too often adults will intervene instead of observing the powerful learning going on because they do not have an understanding of it's power.

Also, although we plan for play and are tweaking continuous provision regularly, the best quality play I observe usually doesn’t come from anything I’d set up, but from children being forever creative. We need to place more trust in the children.

That’s right. Being an outstanding classroom teacher is frequently undervalued. People who choose to prioritise developing this expertise are too often by-passed. And find themselves being told ‘how’ to do out by people who’ve never really done it. Such expertise should be deployed, not ignored.

If you get info for pre-ordering, please let us know. I'd love to read it during the Christmas holidays. I'm planning to train my staff on understanding of self-reg. Too much compliance lens based pedagogy and behavioral strategies here.

Does your work line up with the work of Stuart Shanker?

Also one of my faves. HAd me pondering for weeks too. Magister Ludi is the book that led to his Noble Prize for Literature.

1. Magister Ludi. By Herman Hesse