Broadford Montessori

Pobal information 2025/2026

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Two educators. Same child. Two completely different stories.

A 5-year-old pushes another child during group time, then throws himself on the floor screaming when approached by staff.

Educator A says: "He's being violent and aggressive again. This is the third time this week. He's disrupting the whole class and hurting other children."

Educator B says: "His nervous system just went into fight-or-flight. Look at his shallow breathing, his clenched fists, his wide eyes. Something has overwhelmed his capacity to cope, and his sympathetic nervous system has taken over to protect him."

Same child. Same moment. Two completely different responses about to unfold.

Educator A sees a behaviour 'problem' that needs managing. Educator B sees a little human whose vagus nerve couldn't regulate the overwhelming input around him.

Here's what Educator B does next:

She gets down to his eye level but doesn't make direct eye contact (which can feel threatening to a dysregulated nervous system). She speaks in a calm, low voice: "I can see your body is having big feelings right now. You're safe. I'm going to stay here with you."

She doesn't try to reason with him or ask questions - his prefrontal cortex is 'offline' right now. Instead, she breathes visibly, slowly, traces a repetitive rainbow shape on the ground in front of her feet, allowing her regulated nervous system to offer co-regulation to his.

When his breathing starts to slow, she offers a choice: "Would you like to push against the wall with me, or carry these books to help your body feel better?"

She's not ignoring the push that started this. But she knows that addressing behaviour can only happen after his nervous system returns to a state where learning is possible.

Next time you see challenging behaviour, let's pause and ask: "What is this child's nervous system trying to tell me?"

The answer will change everything.

New preschool logo, courtesy of a very talented friend 🥰

My take on templates in the early years classroom.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this. I probably left out a lot of important points.

This morning at 9.30, the doorbell rang with the arrival of the much-dreaded tusla inspector!

It was a busy morning, but we finished fully compliant 🥳

The inspector commented on what a lovely environment we had created for the children, full of love and kindness, and at the end of the day, isn't that all we ever want in preschool? 🥰🥰

Caterpillars

I'm just back from a fantastic Community of Professional Practice run by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Childcare Committee.
We did a St. Patrick's Day art activity. In the first part of the activity, we were given a template of a shamrock and a green pencil. We were then told to colour the shamrock in green, like a real shamrock, to stay within the lines, and to do good colouring because our parents would want to see beautiful shamrocks. The teacher then cut out the shamrock to hang on the wall, and they all looked the same.

For the second part, we were given a blank page and free access to an art box. There were colouring pencils (not just green), glue, glitter, gems, tissue paper, and other materials. We engaged in a discussion about St. Patrick's day, and we got to create whatever we wanted. As we chose what to do, the "teacher" asked open-ended questions and engaged us in group conversations.

While we are all adults, this exercise allowed us to put ourselves in the place of the child and think reflectively on how we engage with the children. All activities should have the child at the centre, with a space to express themselves, to have their views respected, and with the freedom to make their own decisions.

I would think (hope) that I do this in my practice, but it was a great opportunity tonight to take check of personal practice and share ideas with other wonderful educators