{"id":13273,"date":"2025-09-22T15:12:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T19:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/?p=13273"},"modified":"2025-09-22T15:12:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T19:12:14","slug":"in-the-spirit-of-provocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/","title":{"rendered":"In The Spirit of Provocation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Written by Efrim C.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early childhood education we speak of providing \u201cprovocations\u201d to children: challenges, prompts, or materials provided by the teacher that deepen and extend children\u2019s learning based on the focused observation of their pursuits, interests, and curiosities. Provocations stimulate a response, a growth in thought. Provocations do not leave well-enough alone. And provocations may stir the pot, just a little. With that said, in response to my last entry, I received the following (excerpted) response:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Growth and skill development is important at our center. We are helping them LEARN through play. If they are learning nothing, in my opinion we are failing. If they are not getting skills, in my opinion we are failing. Luckily, I don\u2019t see this to be the case at CCB . . . The process is NOT enough. It\u2019s an incomplete look at what we want to accomplish. We are not babysitters or televisions or books. We\u2019re human beings that can adapt and change to a child’s needs and help guide them. If ALL we cared about was the approach and no results, we might as well be babysitters just waiting for them to grow on their own or an inanimate object for them to explore with, without guidance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As teachers, we are more than simple transmitters of a given knowledge or skill. We guide. We lead. We model. We do not teach empathy by giving children rote phrases to repeat at given moments. We don\u2019t teach them to understand and express their feelings by invalidating them. We don\u2019t teach children peaceful conflict resolution by forcing apologies. We don\u2019t teach a child what is possible by only telling them what is prohibited. We model. We inquire. We offer language and alternatives. We create opportunities for them to do for themselves. We honor their unique way of thinking about and being in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point of last month\u2019s essay (which may not have been sufficiently explained), is not that I, nor CCB want an unquestioning adherence to a FLIP IT script. But we do want teachers to recognize, acknowledge, and validate children\u2019s feelings. We do want teachers to stretch their creativity to find ways to safely accommodate children\u2019s natural drives. We do want teachers to offer children the language and awareness to solve their own problems, and understand their emotions and those of others. And we do want them to provide the guidance and limits they need to build autonomy and independence. FLIP IT is not the only way to do these things, it is rather just one way to think about, to frame, to conceptualize doing these things.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when it comes down it FLIP IT without investment in the moment, in the role we have as mentors, guides, and teachers, is not enough. What really matters is the specific way that we do them. The tone we use, the affect we display, the words we choose, the environment we create, the measure and intensity of the limits we set and so on and on and on; and these myriad variables are all determined from moment to moment, child to child, on our own moods and mental states, the biases we bring to our interactions, and all those things known and unconscious that go into human relationships. So, I agree the method itself is not enough, it is the passion, investment and belief in what we do that brings the method to life and makes it successful at all. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Efrim C. In early childhood education we speak of providing \u201cprovocations\u201d to children: challenges, prompts, or materials provided by the teacher that deepen and extend children\u2019s learning based on the focused observation of their pursuits, interests, and curiosities. Provocations stimulate a response, a growth in thought. Provocations do…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parent-teacher-resource-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nIn The Spirit of Provocation - The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc. In The Spirit of Provocation Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog -\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In The Spirit of Provocation - The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc. In The Spirit of Provocation Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Childrens-Center-of-Brighton-NY-130041477043170\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-22T19:12:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-22T19:12:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Efrim Chiavetta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Efrim Chiavetta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Efrim Chiavetta\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/person\/356c1558ac26bde7e2a149a632429a9b\"},\"headline\":\"In The Spirit of Provocation\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-22T19:12:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-22T19:12:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\"},\"wordCount\":594,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play-1024x683.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\",\"name\":\"In The Spirit of Provocation - The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play-1024x683.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-22T19:12:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-22T19:12:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc. In The Spirit of Provocation Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog -\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play.jpg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In The Spirit of Provocation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/\",\"name\":\"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Childcare, Kindergarten and School Age Programs\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Children's Center of Brighton, Inc.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/logo.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":258,\"caption\":\"The Children's Center of Brighton, Inc.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Childrens-Center-of-Brighton-NY-130041477043170\/\",\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/4svne8lthDg\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/person\/356c1558ac26bde7e2a149a632429a9b\",\"name\":\"Efrim Chiavetta\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37e4d5a6be18e7329eef09566004534264f8423a689061a6edc3c3562c082b97?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37e4d5a6be18e7329eef09566004534264f8423a689061a6edc3c3562c082b97?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Efrim Chiavetta\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/author\/emealer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In The Spirit of Provocation - The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.","description":"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc. In The Spirit of Provocation Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog -","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In The Spirit of Provocation - The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.","og_description":"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc. In The Spirit of Provocation Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog -","og_url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/","og_site_name":"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Childrens-Center-of-Brighton-NY-130041477043170\/","article_published_time":"2025-09-22T19:12:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-22T19:12:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Efrim Chiavetta","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Efrim Chiavetta","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/"},"author":{"name":"Efrim Chiavetta","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/person\/356c1558ac26bde7e2a149a632429a9b"},"headline":"In The Spirit of Provocation","datePublished":"2025-09-22T19:12:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-22T19:12:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/"},"wordCount":594,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play-1024x683.jpg","articleSection":["Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/","url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/","name":"In The Spirit of Provocation - The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play-1024x683.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-22T19:12:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-22T19:12:14+00:00","description":"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc. In The Spirit of Provocation Parent\/Teacher Resource Blog -","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/play.jpg","width":1800,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/in-the-spirit-of-provocation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In The Spirit of Provocation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/","name":"The Childrens Center of Brighton, Inc.","description":"Childcare, Kindergarten and School Age Programs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#organization","name":"The Children's Center of Brighton, Inc.","url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/logo.jpg","width":300,"height":258,"caption":"The Children's Center of Brighton, Inc."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Childrens-Center-of-Brighton-NY-130041477043170\/","https:\/\/youtu.be\/4svne8lthDg"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/person\/356c1558ac26bde7e2a149a632429a9b","name":"Efrim Chiavetta","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37e4d5a6be18e7329eef09566004534264f8423a689061a6edc3c3562c082b97?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37e4d5a6be18e7329eef09566004534264f8423a689061a6edc3c3562c082b97?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Efrim Chiavetta"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net"],"url":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/author\/emealer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13273"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13276,"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13273\/revisions\/13276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.childrenscenter.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}