I believe the kindergarteners I work with to be in the initiative vs. guilt stage, but are certainly on the cusp of entering the industry versus inferiority stage. Despite the fact that they have all reached the age in which Erikson says this crisis would generally begin, I don’t sense there to be any pressure on the kids in terms of their academic development. The children all seem to want to improve their skills. They never show hesitation when I ask if they’ll practice counting or reading with me. That said, I don’t believe that they’re in crisis regarding this development at all. No child seems to really care about any other child’s academic standing, which produces a more friendly learning environment.

As we discussed in class, in terms of Marcia, I’m definitely in the moratorium stage. I feel that if i were identity achieved, I’d be able to name a specific part of my identity or the person I am when prompted. I can’t do that. Furthermore, i am certainly not foreclosed on anything. I have little idea what I want to do post-Carleton, nor do I have desires to work towards romantically  or in most other stages. I do feel that I’ve experienced crisis. I’ve been through a breakup recently, the relationships with my family are very strained and my ability to produce academically is limited. If these three things are true, then I must be in Moratorium. This seems to be very obvious to me. I can point to many crisis I’m experiencing or have experienced. I am trying to work those out while seeking identity. Moratorium!

I always find it very interesting to think about the content discussed in class as it relates to the kindergarteners. I think it’s such an interesting age because they’re so unpredictable. I feel like with high school aged kids, it’s easier to predict their behavior and analyze the meaning of their actions. With the kindergarteners, well, that isn’t quite so simple. Thinking about there Eriksonian development especially made this difficult.

An observation I’ve made involving Mrs Ziemann and her teaching style involve how often she sings to the children. She isn’t a great singer or anything, so I can’t imagine she’s doing it for herself. I think there’s probably something to be said about the effect that melody can have on children that age when learning. She has a counting song, a reading song, a cleanup song, and more that I’m probably not aware of. Is there something to this? Can using singing as a tool for teaching help young children absorb more information?