tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142580636104627482.post2557168875258160615..comments2024-03-21T19:18:44.175-04:00Comments on Helping Kids Achieve with Cindy Terebush: The Word “Friend” – Is It Overused In Preschool?Cindy Terebush, MS Early Childhood Studieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627576495860483935noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142580636104627482.post-29600418895885007402013-05-15T23:43:51.376-04:002013-05-15T23:43:51.376-04:00I have heard this argument before and have a diffe...I have heard this argument before and have a different view. <br /><br />In my preschool class, the word "friend" is taken very seriously by my students from the moment they walk in the door. They quickly develop their opinion on who is their friend and who is not but it often changes day by day or even moment by moment. Such is the nature of preschool age children. You see, unlike adults, young children are still establishing their cognitive understanding of friendship and all that friendship encompasses. Our role is to help them expand their thought process by fostering potential friendships at this age.<br /><br />"Is it a realistic expectation that all of the children in our classrooms or even in our personal lives will be friends?" No, it isn't realistic but as adults, we have a say in who we spend our time with and have the cognitive understanding that kindness and friendship are two different words. I don't believe preschoolers can separate the two. <br /><br />"Surely, some of them are just not compatible. They actually have a right to not be compatible. My child doesn’t have to like every other child." <br /><br />Compatibility" doesn't always dictate friendship. My husband and I are not always compatible but we are still friends. I can assure you that we will have some very hurt feelings in my classroom (by both children and parents) if kids start coming home telling mom and dad "My teacher says that the other children don't have to be my friend" because again, cognitively speaking, young children are not ready for such higher level thinking on social behavior. <br /><br />I think that encouraging the use of the word friend in the classroom is ultimately the kindest thing you can do for everyone. Yes, perhaps the children don't consider everyone in the class to be a friend in the truest sense of the word but in a community of learners, everyone needs to treat everyone else just as if they were a friend. Building tolerance isn't what we should be striving for in our preschool classrooms. It should be building genuine relationships that will sometimes result in lasting friendships, despite differences, and at other times result in kindness for the moment but either way, preschoolers are still developing their cognitive understanding of friendship and every preschool age child needs to feel that he or she can be a friend and will be accepted as a friend by the others in the classroom. Deborahhttp://www.teachpreschool.orgnoreply@blogger.com