Excuse Me!

Excuse me, excuse me, EXCUSE ME! Have you heard these words before? Often this is how children are taught to get an adults attention when they need something. While they are polite words, they can still be interrupting words.

During our day in the classroom they is a beautiful hum of busy. Lessons are being given, children are working, teachers are teaching. At any given time we are needed to refill the snack bowl, get more tape, help someone in the bathroom, lead a game of I Spy, clean up a spill…the list goes on. Often we are giving lessons when we are needed for something else. If we taught the children to say excuse me every time they needed something – our busy hum would turn into a broken record of “excuse me.” In order to keep the lesson interruptions to a minimum, we teach the children to get our attention in a more peaceful manner. It looks like this:

If we are in the middle of a lesson, we ask that the child place their hand on our shoulder, and wait patiently. This way, we know they need our attention, but our focus can remain steady for the task at hand.

We then put our hand on top of their hand. This lets the child know that we acknowledge them, we understand they need our help, and we will be with them as soon as we can.

Once the lesson is complete, then we turn our attention to the waiting child and say, “Thank you for waiting patiently, what can I help you with?”

This is such a simple gesture, it communicates need and acknowledgement, teaches patience, and allows the time and space necessary to honor each child’s needs. Even more wonderful, is that you can do this at home too!