In very much the same way, the preschool and primary grade school environment is conducive to teaching other important moral values that are often postponed until much later, despite the fact that early introduction to those concepts is much more likely to result in their absorption than later introduction. Racism, sexism, and other forms of bias that are no longer condoned in American society are also capable of being addressed in the preschool years so that those important lessons take root before contradictory messages are received from the external environment.
Informal Assessment of Social and Emotional Well-being in Children:
All too often, educators and other caregivers perform their professional responsibilities in a vacuum, concentrating strictly on their narrow tasks of teaching the alphabet or providing meals at the appropriate time. Both the classroom setting and the day care environment actually present numerous opportunities to assess the social development and emotional well-being of children, albeit in a very informal capacity.
The everyday interactions between preschool and grade school students contains a wealth of information into the social adjustment and emotional development of children without any formal diagnostic psychological testing whatsoever. Excessive shyness and reluctance to participate in classroom (or recreational) activities or to contribute to classroom discussions may suggest the need for formal assessment. In fact, the inclusion of a rich classroom environment is doubly useful, because in addition to promoting attentiveness and subject matter retention (Bimonte 2005), it further highlights the difference between children whose enthusiasm and classroom involvement falls within the normal ranges expected for their age group and those whose lack of involvement suggests possible issues of concern (Cookson 2005).
Similarly, while instances of aggression toward others is often dealt with in the context of isolated incidents, they may also provide the basis for concern even without formal assessment of any kind. It is well established that physical aggression or outright violence perpetrated by children often indicates that they have been exposed to violence in the home or to significant other frustrations for which they have no other outlet (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005). While professional assessment and expertise is required to explore any such concerns in depth, the preschool educator still occupies a unique position from which preliminary evidence of this nature is readily apparent in the ordinary classroom environment.
Excessive competitiveness is also ignored more often than it is appreciated as a possible indication that a child is overcompensating for pressures or inadequacies in the home environment. Educators who observe acute competitiveness that exceeds what seems appropriate for age and circumstances may initiate informal assessments by engaging the child in conversation about "winning" versus "participating."
Similarly, teasing of the type traditionally considered "normal" in the educational environment is now know to be associated with long-lasting consequences to its victims.
Behavior of this type that actually borders on bullying very often indicates social and developmental issues that will require formal intervention at some point (Wright 2004).
As in the case of other behavioral and developmental issues, informal assessment provides the opportunity for earlier intervention with beneficial results more readily achievable earlier rather than later.
In general, the tendency of educators to ignore the potential diagnostic value of observable childhood behavior probably relates to two factors: (1) because they are extremely task-oriented, they tend to respond in a microcosmic instead of macrocosmic way to instances of behavioral abnormalities; and (2) because they lack specific training in child psychology, they may be reluctant to overstep the bounds of their responsibilities into this area. However, the ordinary preschool and grade school environment is far too replete with valuable information and potential insight into the comparative social development and emotional state of children not...
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