Philosophy of Childhood Development
As an educator it is important to recognize the developmental stages that children are supposed to go through in order to properly assess whether or not they are on target or if they are experiencing a lag in development. Many of the stages of development can open the gate for certain behaviors, positive or negative, depending on whether or not a child successfully graduates from one stage of development to another. It is also important to recognize that not only are some behaviors a result of a inherent issue, but can also be a result of environment. It is essential that we make ourselves aware of student behaviors and try to find an underlying cause for the behavior. Each child who displays undesired behaviors has a need that is not being met. It is my job as an educator to try to discover the need and help meet it for that student.