Welcome

Through play and daily life, young children become socially adept and physically competent; they become able to lead and follow, make friends, lose friends, and restore friends. They come to know others and build the being of others. In natural ways they become able to initiate actions for their own betterment, the betterment of others, and the betterment of the community. They inquire, investigate, and represent in paint, and blocks, and clay. They come to love.

I am an emeritus educator of children and adults and a student of both. Over the years since 1970 when I started learning about schools for young children, I developed resources for early childhood educators and families. Now that I am retired I have time to create the kind of site I wish I had encountered long ago – one that had practical ideas with nothing to sell.

In 141 pages—almost a labyrinth of links upon links—I share what I have learned to do to optimize conditions for young children in the years between age 2 and common school age and the ways I have created for people to practice it—34 years of teaching early childhood education and teaching teachers to teach.

I am interested in helping people change habits and become more authentic in their relationships with children. I present alternatives to traditional practices and steadfastly trust people to turn to their communities and do good work.

Each of us can choose ways to become more effective educators and leaders, model ways of being, and return to others those hugs and accolades that cheer us on.

I continue to spend my time smoothing the flow through this site. I still haven’t seen another one that is similarly dedicated to the journey toward growth and personal betterment that does not suck resources out of our field.

Everything here is free. Rather than you spending money in traditional, unproven ways, I invite you to spend time here, with others, pursuing what is unfamiliar. Here, you choose how to educate children in the way both you and the children find joyous and affirming.

Like most things one learns in life, it is challenging to learn something by yourself. People need people, especially people taking risks towards the same goal at the same time.

We flourish in communities of love and support, where we play adventurously and have fun. If we aren’t laughing, something is amiss.

A note to navigation: Troubling Behavior, Mathematics and Design, and Connecting to Children consist of many nested pages opening up other pages beyond what is visible in the menus.