Tara K. Haner

When I was little, I packed a bag to run away and my folks bribed me to stay using mac n cheese. And that tactic still works on me today.

What we do matters. 🧡

Research in child development shows that young children build many foundational literacy skills through oral language, conversation, storytelling, play, social interaction, movement, repetition, and being read to consistently. That matters right now because many states, including Georgia, are making a major push toward early literacy intervention and increased reading accountability in younger grades. Literacy matters. Intervention matters. But developmentally appropriate practice matters too. The concern is not helping children read. The concern is what often happens when academic pressure and accountability move further and further down into early childhood. Historically, these pushes often lead to: more testing, more scripted programs, more worksheets, more skill drilling, less play, less creativity, less imagination, less movement, and preschool slowly becoming “first grade earlier.” A Pre-K child confusing letters and numbers is often developmentally normal at that age. But when expectations are pushed down earlier and earlier, normal developmental behaviors like that can quickly become labeled as “behind,” “at risk,” or needing intervention. At the same time, we risk removing many of the very experiences that actually help children build strong literacy foundations in the first place: conversation, storytelling, creativity, play, human interaction, and being read to regularly. Reading stories aloud to children remains one of the strongest literacy practices we have because it develops vocabulary, comprehension, listening skills, attention span, imagination, and background knowledge long before formal academic pressure should dominate a child’s day. This is not being against literacy intervention. It is asking whether we are supporting literacy in ways that actually align with how young children learn and develop. Because if we are not careful, early literacy policy can slowly become driven more by accountability systems, testing pressure, packaged programs, and textbook companies than by best practices in child development and learning.

@DrBradJohnson Enter theater arts!

We spend so much time worrying about children coming to school lacking academic skills. But many are coming to school lacking relational skills. Some children struggle to communicate face to face. To handle conflict. To hear “no.” To work through frustration. To cooperate, wait their turn, read social cues, or build healthy relationships. And we should not ignore what is contributing to it. Many children today are spending more time interacting with screens than interacting with people. Less conversation. Less eye contact. Less play. Less unstructured interaction. Less practice navigating real human relationships. But human beings are relational by nature. Children learn communication, empathy, emotional regulation, accountability, confidence, and social awareness through real interaction with other human beings, not through constant technology, isolated screen time, and reduced human interaction. Because schools are not just places of academic learning. They are human environments built on interaction, communication, relationships, accountability, emotional regulation, and respect for others. A child can often catch up academically. But when children struggle with basic relational skills, it impacts behavior, learning, confidence, friendships, classrooms, and eventually the ability to function successfully in life and the workplace. This is also why recess and play matter so much. They are not distractions from learning. They are some of the primary ways children develop the relational and emotional foundations that learning depends on in the first place. Because when relational development suffers, academic development eventually suffers too.

girls, we need to frantically and obsessively start reading books and finish them in less than 24 hours again.... remember how happy we were back then??

@ValaAfshar Helpful reminder!

“Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing whether to say it or not.”

Children crave attention. They crave it. The worst situation is when you only give your child attention when they're misbehaving and ignore them when they're good. You want to be giving them attention for the good things. Attention is love.

Healing yourself is one thing. Choosing not to pass your pain down… that’s legacy.

No one talks enough about how a dog teaches you that presence is enough.

Don't everrrrrrrrrrrrrrr forget the tremendous privilege that it is to be healthy, to have a job and food. Don't minimize it, nor ever lose sight of it. And above all, be grateful for it.

Anonymous I teach kindergarten. We have a snack rule. Kids bring their own. If you forget, you wait until lunch. Parents were informed at orientation. It’s simple. Little girl. First week of school. Sat there while everyone else ate. Watched. Didn’t cry. Didn’t ask. Just watched with these enormous quiet eyes. “Did you forget your snack?” She nodded. “Mama forgot to pack it.” Said it with no blame. Just a fact. Gave her half my lunch. Apple slices and crackers. She ate them very carefully. Like she was trying not to use too much. Called her mom that afternoon. Not to scold. Just to check in. Long pause on the line. Then: “We’ve had a hard week. I forgot. I’m sorry.” Voice thin. “Is she okay?” “She’s fine. I just wanted you to know it happens.” Started keeping a snack drawer. Goldfish crackers. Granola bars. Apple pouches. For the kids who forget. For the kids whose parents are having hard weeks. For the kids who eat too carefully like they’re trying not to be a burden. That little girl is in third grade now. Her mom volunteers at every school event. Brings enough snacks for the whole class every time. Never explained it. Didn’t have to. Some rules make sense in a meeting room. Less sense when you’re looking at a five-year-old watching other kids eat.

“To be happy you must eliminate two things: The fear of a bad future and The memory of a bad past.” - Seneca

Please enjoy these ducks changing their minds.

Every time I Ignored the sign, the lesson came back louder. God didn’t change the message he turned up the volume.

The moment Mark Pope’s daughter, Avery, reunited with her family after a 15 month mission trip in El Salvador ❤️

Elder Holland was not messing around with this one. Oh, how I will miss his bold declarations of truth. 🔥🔥🔥