Liberated Learning

LL024 Seeing the Other 
This week we have an unfiltered conversation about race, gender, and class. Kisa and Mike then reflect on the conversation and see how the topics share a thread of how to see the humanity in others. This can be easier said than done because we experience the world from our own perspective. We need to be able to notice when we are ignoring the perspective of others. Once again, we are joined by Amanda, Jax, Sophie, and Emma Worms. 
 
Amanda Worms is the CEO and Founder of Bella Vita Early Learning and the Founder and Executive Director of Elowyn, a community-rooted initiative grounded in connection and support for families, educators, and children alike.  
In this episode, Mike refers to the book, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. 
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

Learning is not linear, especially for neurodivergent people. Yet too often our learning institutions are structured as if it is. In high school, the day is often divided into periods of 45 minutes, so students jump from one subject to another. It’s hard to imagine an artist being told to stop working after 45 minutes so they can go swimming and then learn about history. In early childhood, children are often shuffled around from one activity to another to ensure covering all learning domains. This is counter to seeing the humanity of the children. Instead, educators need to start with relationship so they can see the spark in each child while also supporting that child’s needs. Once again, we are joined by Amanda, Jax, Sophie, and Emma Worms. 
 
Amanda Worms is the CEO and Founder of Bella Vita Early Learning and the Founder and Executive Director of Elowyn, a community-rooted initiative grounded in connection and support for families, educators, and children alike.  
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

Equity means everyone gets what they need. But before that can happen, relationships and trust need to be established. Young children often articulate their needs through their actions. When we have a strong relationship with the child, we see both the child’s genius and their needs. When the relationship is cursory, a child’s needs can be seen as deficits and the child can be seen as a diagnosis.  Once again, we are joined by Amanda, Jax, Sophie, and Emma Worms. 
 
Amanda Worms is the CEO and Founder of Bella Vita Early Learning and the Founder and Executive Director of Elowyn, a community-rooted initiative grounded in connection and support for families, educators, and children alike.  
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

This week we have our first guests. Emma and Amanda Worms share how Emma’s autism diagnosis caused the school to focus on her perceived deficits rather than her humanity. In an attempt to support her, the school took away her agency and her parent’s agency. Eve Trook says that when power is exercised on a child, the child is oppressed. When power is exercised for a child, the child is facilitated, but when power is exercised with a child, both the child and educator are liberated.    
We were also joined by Emma’s sisters, Jax and Sophie (and Mike and Kisa were there, too).  
 
Amanda Worms is the CEO and Founder of Bella Vita Early Learning and the Founder and Executive Director of Elowyn, a community-rooted initiative grounded in connection and support for families, educators, and children alike.  
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

When Kisa needed a sense of safety as a child, she didn’t need a teacher asking lots of questions, no matter how well intentioned. She needed someone nearby, someone to come to her quiet. How many children could we, as teachers, connect with if we approached them with quiet attentiveness. Children do this with each other frequently, but we don’t always notice because of a false hierarchy of play. Too often we consider solitary, onlooker, and parallel play less mature than associative and collaborative play. These are not stages of play that children go through, but types of play they add to their repertoire. Failure to appreciate all types of play leads to a failure to attune to all children. 
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

Nature cannot be experienced just watching on a screen or through a window. We don’t just see nature; we hear it, smell it, and feel it. What can we learn from our own experiences in nature? The more we take the time to slow down and truly appreciate all nature has to give, the more we notice. But nature doesn’t change; our understanding does.  
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

Like much in life, showing up is the first step. Nature is not just good for children, it’s good for all living things, even grownups. Kisa and Mike share stories of the things they discovered by just being outside. The exuberance of nature allows for opportunities for us to be in awe right along with children. When we liberate ourselves, we don’t just open ourselves to life-long learning, but life-long wondering as well. 
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

Nature is all around us as long as we have earth, air, sky, and water. Getting outside exposes children to the diversity of nature—the various shades of green, the insects flying by, the fluctuations in temperature. It also can make us aware of the diversity of the children in our care. Nature-based play is more common in white spaces, but nature is for everyone. In this episode, Kisa and Mike address some of the changes individuals can make to increase children’s access to nature. Changing our attitude is the start, including the first step of understanding that different skin and hair require different care.  
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a great way to take on other perspectives and stretch your own thinking. Kisa and Mike talk about times when they searched out new experiences for professional growth: driving up a mountain to Play Frontier, attending a speed-painting recreating the Sistine Chapel, playing improv games. These things may sound different on the surface. They are all different flavors, but they all taste like freedom.  
Things Mike couldn’t remember: Mike refers to Kind Roots Early Care and Learning and its owner, Annie Berres. Be sure to check out kindrrotsearlylearning on Instagram. 
 
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness 

If we fall for the lie that there is a singular voice of authority, what stories do we miss? Kisa and Mike talk about the reciprocal nature of exchanging ideas. We all construct the knowledge and wisdom that inform our actions based on the stories we tell. That means we need to seek out multiple stories. If you’re the smartest one in the room, you need a different room. 
Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ 
Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd   
Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness