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Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning in Preschool
CHAPTER 1
The Power of “Good Morning”
Sarah Calzone
It’s 3:30 a.m., and Nathaniel, a 3- year- old in my
preschool classroom, is awoken by a familiar hand.
As Nathaniel’s mother does each weekday morning,
she wakes him and his 1- year- old sister so they can
get ready for their day. Nathaniel and his sister will
spend the morning at their grandmother’s house
until school starts, and Nathaniel’s mother will head
to work as an EMT (while balancing schoolwork of
her own).
Once Nathaniel and his sister arrive at their
grandmother’s house, they usually fall back asleep
until it’s time to leave for school. Their grandmother
drops o Nathaniel’s sister at a child care center
and then Nathaniel at our preschool before she goes
to work.
At the beginning of the year, Nathaniel often arrived
at school late and either crying or concealing outward
signs of emotion. As the weeks passed, he took a long
time to warm up and generally kept to himself. It was
clear that Nathaniel struggled with big emotions. I was
concerned that he continued to engage in solitary
activities; he often stayed alone in the cozy corner of
the classroom instead of interacting with his peers.
As Nathaniel’s rst teacher, I had an important job.
I needed to create a secure relationship with him
and nd ways to be responsive to his individual
strengths and challenges, his interests, and his
approaches to learning and interacting with others.
With his trust in me, Nathaniel could feel comfortable
exploring the environment and curriculum of his new
classroom community.
I engaged with Nathaniel during dierent activities,
and I observed and took notes throughout the day.
I talked with his mother to learn more about their
family life and routines, her hopes for Nathaniel,
and the challenges facing her family. As I got to
know Nathaniel and his family more, I decided that
I needed to change my actions as a teacher. Even in
my intentional practices, there was more for me to do.
I made the conscious and deliberate eort to be right
at the door each day when Nathaniel arrived at school.
Intentional Morning
Greetings
At the beginning of the school year, I had worked
to establish a predictable morning routine to help
children adjust to coming into school. I used pictures
for instructions, and I talked about arrival time
during our rst circle time. Many children were able
to come into the classroom, hang up their belongings,
wash their hands, and engage in free play with ease.
However, I noticed that some children struggled
during this period of transition and needed more
support. When the struggles continued after the rst
two months of school, I realized that I needed to
change my intentional practices in order to meet the
needs of all of the children.
Upon making the decision to adjust my morning
greetings, I changed where I positioned myself and
the words I used. For Nathaniel, I got down on
his level and said greetings like, “Good morning,
Nathaniel, I’m so glad you’re here!” or “Good
morning, Nathaniel, I’ve been waiting to see you!”
At rst, Nathaniel did not respond to my attempts to
make a connection. Knowing that building a strong
relationship takes time and consistency, I maintained
my new morning greetings. After a few months of
this new approach, Nathaniel smiled; soon, he was
comfortable responding to me in dierent ways and,
in time, our morning greeting consisted of a hug and a
cross- handed high ve, a greeting Nathaniel chose.
During our more intentional morning greetings,
Nathaniel began to open up and share parts of his
world with me. He told me that he loves dinosaurs,
especially pterodactyls, and he wonders what it must
be like to y like one. He mentioned that his sister
loves her teddy bear and that she had recently been
sick. The morning greeting took only a few minutes,
but in that time, I learned about what interested and
concerned Nathaniel and about the people who are
most important to him. Had our greeting remained
the same as it was at the beginning of the year, I would
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7Chapter 1: The Power of “Good Morning”
have missed valuable moments to learn about and be
responsive to Nathaniel.
Educators use their knowledge of each
child and family to make learning
experiences meaningful, accessible,
and responsive. They plan the environment,
schedule, and daily activities to promote each
child’s development and learning.
One morning in early spring, Nathaniel arrives
with a wide- eyed smile on his face. I realize that his
mother has come to drop him o today. Nathaniel
and I go about our now well- established morning
greeting. Nathaniel looks up at his mother and says,
“See, Mom—I told you our ‘good morning’ would
make you smile.”
As Nathaniel continues his morning routine, his
mother tells me that Nathaniel is more talkative at
home and shares more about his school day. He has
told his mother that he and I have a time set aside to
say “good morning” when he arrives, and it makes
him feel special. He has also told his mother that
he feels excited to come to school and share a smile
with me. His mother says, “Thank you. You have
made him excited to learn and to come to school. He
is smiling so much now.”
This conversation gave me insights into the power of
morning greetings. By being intentional, I was able
to connect with and respond to Nathaniel, and this
intentional morning greeting oered connections
with the important people in his life. Nathaniel’s
mother began to trust me and share her struggles and
diculties, which allowed me opportunities to share
helpful resources with her.
Planning for and
Carrying Out Intentional
Morning Greetings
The practice of an intentional morning greeting can
empower young children to embrace their day and
their learning. Young children may be experiencing
challenges or anxieties beyond the classroom, whether
their teachers are aware of them or not. Classrooms
must be safe and secure environments where children
are free to explore and learn and are able to build and
practice resilience.
Here are four eective ways to plan for and carry out
individualized morning greetings in your program:
› Greet each child with a smile. You help set the
tone for the day. A smile signals to each child that
they are in a safe place and that they belong there.
› Use each child’s name. When a child hears their
name, not only do they realize that the greeting is
for them, they also understand that the teacher is
thinking about them.
› Include personalized information. Use
statements such as “Jordan, I remember you had
swim class last night. I can’t wait to hear all about
it!” and “Jada, you were excited to watch a movie
with your family last night. Tell me more about it
during breakfast.” “Soa, I noticed you brought a
toy dog with you today. Is that dog similar to your
dog at home?” or “Antonio, I remember you wanted
to play with the blocks today, so I put them out
for free play. I can’t wait to see what you are going
to build!” Statements like these show each child
that you pay attention to their interests and look
forward to learning more about them.
› Oer options for morning greetings. Some
children need physical touch and support to start
their day: handshakes, hugs, high ves, or other
movements can help you greet each child when
they arrive. Other children prefer a wave, facial
expressions, or words rather than physical touch.
Introducing these options, providing pictures
that model various greetings, and asking for a
child’s preference give children the sense that they
belong and are cared for and enable them to be
comfortable with their individual morning greeting.
Although Nathaniel has since moved on from my
classroom, his mother still keeps in touch. Nathaniel
and his sister are both doing well in and outside of
school, and their mother has completed her degree
program and is thriving in her work as a nurse. While
I won’t forget Nathaniel’s start of the year, I cherish
the smile Nathaniel gained from the power of “good
morning” and the lessons I learned moving forward as
an intentional teacher.
SARAH CALZONE, MEd, is a special education
preschool teacher for Stratford Public Schools in
Stratford, Connecticut.
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