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Conclusion When the children sing together at the end of the day, “We all work together with a wiggle and a giggle,” I know that children have not changed since the days when Woody Guthrie wrote that tune in the 1930s for his own children. Our technological society has changed children’s environments, and few young children get to play (and certainly not work) with a hoe or spade, but their need to help, to be part of a group, and to be useful continues to be a basic human need. Going inside and taking off their wet raincoats after working on the big puddle, the children continue with a typical school day—pretending together, doing puzzles, building with blocks, and painting pictures, much as their counterparts in other classrooms around the state are doing. What is different here? A student teacher observes on a visit to the school, “They’re not fighting!” A mother notices as she watches her child through the observation window, “He chooses so calmly and stays at things so long.” And I, the school director, listening from my office above the classroom, remark, “Their voices sound so happy as they play and work together.” References Adler, A. 1930. The education of children. Chicago: Henry Regnery. Bredekamp, S., & C. Copple, eds. 1997. Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. Rev. ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Colker, L.J. 2004. The cooking book: Guide to fostering young children’s learning and delight. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Dreikurs, R., & V. Soltz. 1964. Children: The challenge. New York: Dutton. Goleman, D. 1995. Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam. Harter, S. 1975. Developmental differences in the manifestations of mastery motivation on problem-solving tasks. Child Development 46: 307–78. Hauser-Cram, P. 1998. Research in Review. I think I can, I think I can: Understanding and encouraging mastery motivation in young children. Young Children 53 (4): 67–71. Helm, J.H., & L. Katz. 2001. Young investigators: The project approach in the early years. New York: Teachers College Press; Washington, DC: NAEYC. Hyson, M. 2004. The emotional development of young children: Building an emotion-centered curriculum. 2nd ed. New York: Teachers College Press. Illinois State Board of Education: Division of Early Childhood Education. 2002. Illinois Early Learning Standards. Online: www. illinoisearlylearning.org/standards. Katz, L., & D.E. McClellan. 1997. Fostering children’s social competence: The teacher’s role. Washington, DC: NAEYC. White, R. 1959. Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review 66: 297–333. Nancy P. Jones, MS, is director and founder of the Children’s Farm School, a licensed school for young children near St. Paul, Minnesota. She has taught young children, their families, and teachers for 30 years. This article was originally published in Young Children in March 2005. See the first issue of TYC for the version of Big Jobs adapted for preschool teachers. Copyright © 2005 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp.             We all work together with a wiggle and a giggle, We all work together with a giggle and a grin. [Song accompanied by much wiggling] — From “All Work Together” by Woody Guthrie 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 

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