Educators as sheriffs or allies? Rethinking our relationships with preschool-aged children by Noah Hichenberg, Ed.D

Trusting children is hard. Really, really hard. We generally lack the language, attitudes, and habits for it. As preschool teachers and parents of young children, we are accustomed – we are trained and expected – to maintain control over a child’s actions. As an educator, Noah Hichenberg, author of A New Vision for Early Childhood: Rethinking our Relationships with Young Children worked his entire career in preschool classrooms – on building a stance of trust, rather than control, towards children. This session will cover the core elements of his approach to reshaping our relationships with young children.

A key theme in the webinar will focus on how adults turn into “sheriffs” when we are stuck in a control-oriented relationship with children, always looking to catch them doing the wrong thing and reminding them to do the right thing instead. When we play the role of sheriff, our children’s constant resistance turns them into outlaws. Join is paradigm-shifting webinar to learn how we can work on being an ally instead of a sheriff, supporting children instead of correcting them. When we can become allies instead of sheriffs, there are no outlaws, only collaborators.

As in the book, the webinar will offer a concise, critical social construction of childhood. You will learn how requiring groups of toddlers and preschool children to do the same thing, at the same time and the constant presence of adult control shapes early childhood today. Noah will also explain how children retain the power of individual agency to push back against adults’ expectations and control.

For children in today’s hyper-surveilled childhood to speak up is often considered to be resistance and defiance. Teachers frequently see expression of individual agency as an act of subversion. Noah will share his thoughts about how to reframe children’s resistance as their agency.

In this thought-provoking presentation you will:

• Identify moments of adult control

• Learn how to become an ally to children

• Explore why children are hyper-surveilled today

• Plan to make changes to your practices