Photo Credit: Chris Yurko
What comes after the SI Workshop?
Reflections One Year Later…
One year ago this month, we shared the story of a day-long SI workshop for the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Professional Development Centers (PDCs) at the beautiful New England Botanic Garden. We spent the day together learning about SI and reflecting on the impact of simple, ordinary moments on children (and adults’!) learning and growth. In our story, we shared that this was only the “beginning of a journey to integrate SI into everything [the PDCs] did - not only the way that coaches supported early childhood leaders and educators, but even the way the PDC teams worked together to support one another.” Over the course of the last year, we have had the privilege of facilitating a Simple Interactions Community of Practice (CoP) for the Western PDC team, supporting their work to apply the SI approach to their practice as coaches, leaders, and colleagues.
One member of our CoP, Emily Webber, is the Director of Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, a child care center for parenting college students at Holyoke Community College, where the Western PDC is housed. As a way for the CoP to deepen their SI practice, Emily Webber invited Emily Meland from Simple Interactions to visit and film at Itsy Bitsy for a day. We then curated a set of clips to bring to our Community of Practice meetings to practice noticing, appreciating, and facilitating conversations about everyday moments in early child care. While the SI team brought the first set of clips for discussion, Emily Webber then selected clips on her own to facilitate a conversation with her CoP colleagues. The clips she selected allowed the group to have a specific and meaningful conversation about simple interactions in transitions - something that uniquely characterizes the in-and-out of children at Itsy Bitsy, but is familiar to many early care and education settings. As we embark on Year 2 of our CoP, the cases and materials we discuss are increasingly created and brought to the group by the PDC members themselves as they are finding their own ways to integrate SI into their work. We are delighted to have Emily share some of her reflections on her CoP experience below.
One member of our CoP, Emily Webber, is the Director of Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, a child care center for parenting college students at Holyoke Community College, where the Western PDC is housed. As a way for the CoP to deepen their SI practice, Emily Webber invited Emily Meland from Simple Interactions to visit and film at Itsy Bitsy for a day. We then curated a set of clips to bring to our Community of Practice meetings to practice noticing, appreciating, and facilitating conversations about everyday moments in early child care. While the SI team brought the first set of clips for discussion, Emily Webber then selected clips on her own to facilitate a conversation with her CoP colleagues. The clips she selected allowed the group to have a specific and meaningful conversation about simple interactions in transitions - something that uniquely characterizes the in-and-out of children at Itsy Bitsy, but is familiar to many early care and education settings. As we embark on Year 2 of our CoP, the cases and materials we discuss are increasingly created and brought to the group by the PDC members themselves as they are finding their own ways to integrate SI into their work. We are delighted to have Emily share some of her reflections on her CoP experience below.
They come and go, but the moments stick:
Emily’s reflections on SI in drop-in childcare
By: Emily Webber, Director of Itsy Bitsy Child Watch at Holyoke Community College
Photo Credit, Chris Yurko
The Simple Interactions workshop at the New England Botanical Garden reconnected me to my “why” as an educator and reminded me how small moments can carry tremendous power. It was the kind of professional development day that you leave feeling grounded, connected, and eager to bring your learning back to your team.
Luckily, I was not the only participant committed to bringing SI into our daily practices. I was invited to join the Western Professional Development Center (PDC)’s Simple Interactions Community of Practice, guided by Emily and Kelly. The PDC is housed in the Early Childhood Initiatives department at Holyoke Community College, which is also home to Itsy Bitsy Child Watch (IBCW). IBCW offers free, mixed-age, as-needed childcare to parenting college students with the goal of reducing barriers to higher education. Children are only in our care when parents are attending their academic commitments, which means each child has a unique schedule. Because of this, our teacher-child relationships don’t always look like those formed in full-time, full-year programs - but they don’t matter any less. Simple Interactions has reminded us that even though the structure of our childcare program is atypical, the children and parents who come through our door are impacted by us, and we have the power to choose what we bring to each interaction.
Emily visited IBCW in early March to film a day in our classroom. What could have felt evaluative and nerve-wracking instead felt supportive and affirming. I reminded my team upon Emily’s arrival that “only good can come of this, so just be yourselves - this is more practice for the CoP than anything else!” And so a normal day ensued, with Emily and her camera blending into the background, quietly capturing moments that we see every day; a tearful drop-off, mom and teacher sharing a knowing “we got this” nod, curious hands dipped in outer space sensory bins, persistent do-it-myself toddlers managing a dust pan, and all the feelings in between.
Luckily, I was not the only participant committed to bringing SI into our daily practices. I was invited to join the Western Professional Development Center (PDC)’s Simple Interactions Community of Practice, guided by Emily and Kelly. The PDC is housed in the Early Childhood Initiatives department at Holyoke Community College, which is also home to Itsy Bitsy Child Watch (IBCW). IBCW offers free, mixed-age, as-needed childcare to parenting college students with the goal of reducing barriers to higher education. Children are only in our care when parents are attending their academic commitments, which means each child has a unique schedule. Because of this, our teacher-child relationships don’t always look like those formed in full-time, full-year programs - but they don’t matter any less. Simple Interactions has reminded us that even though the structure of our childcare program is atypical, the children and parents who come through our door are impacted by us, and we have the power to choose what we bring to each interaction.
Emily visited IBCW in early March to film a day in our classroom. What could have felt evaluative and nerve-wracking instead felt supportive and affirming. I reminded my team upon Emily’s arrival that “only good can come of this, so just be yourselves - this is more practice for the CoP than anything else!” And so a normal day ensued, with Emily and her camera blending into the background, quietly capturing moments that we see every day; a tearful drop-off, mom and teacher sharing a knowing “we got this” nod, curious hands dipped in outer space sensory bins, persistent do-it-myself toddlers managing a dust pan, and all the feelings in between.
Photo Credit: Chris Evans
Some weeks later, the CoP convened to study video clips from the classroom and practice using SI. As I pressed play, my eyes darted from the video of my classroom to the zoom boxes of my colleagues, and back again. I was curious what they would see. I was feeling a bit vulnerable with IBCW in the spotlight. The members of the CoP dove into a deep conversation rooted in noticing and appreciating. The facial expressions of the children, the body positioning of the educator, the choices being made, the materials available, and growth happening before our eyes - there was so much to discuss! Using the SI tool allowed us to share our different perspectives and weave them together using shared language. It allowed us to appreciate the ebb and flow of human interactions, understanding that fluctuation is part of being human. The warmth and curiosity with which our classroom was received lit me up just as the workshop had. It was confirmation that in every ordinary moment, something meaningful is happening.
Committing to the SI approach ultimately gave me exactly what I needed - a reset, a renewed lens, and a reminder that our influence as educators doesn’t depend on long hours or “perfect” classroom conditions. It depends on being present in every simple interaction.
Committing to the SI approach ultimately gave me exactly what I needed - a reset, a renewed lens, and a reminder that our influence as educators doesn’t depend on long hours or “perfect” classroom conditions. It depends on being present in every simple interaction.
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