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Kayla Harrison
Dr. Perkins
Growth & Learning
8 November 2014
Implementing Life Skills in a Classroom
Dan Gartrell, a former professor of Early Childhood and Head Start teacher, produced a list of
five Democratic Life Skills that he believes are important to promote in classrooms. The five life skills
include Guiding Children to Find a Place, Guiding Children to Express Strong Emotions in Non-Hurting
Ways, Solving Problems Creatively-Independently and in Cooperation with Others, Accepting Unique
Human Qualities in Others, and Thinking Intelligently and Ethically (Gartrell, 2012; Gartrell, 2013;
Gartrell, 2014). Life Skills should be implemented in classrooms in hopes that students will further
develop them and utilize them throughout the rest of their lives. Some of the main goals in a classroom
are to make children feel safe and accepted, help them problem solve, and help them to accept others. All
of these goals can be reached if the five life skills are developed. Democratic life skills are social
emotional capacities that children need to be productive citizens and healthy individuals in a modern,
diverse society (Gartrell, 2012).
When a teacher first steps into the classroom, he or she has a plan for how the year will go. In my
future classroom, I hope to make every student feel like they belong in the class and that they are valued
and important. I would like for my classroom to be a place where the students can learn from their
experiences and learn to think on their own. As a teacher, it is my job to guide the students to manage
their reactions, emotions, and responses because their peers value how they react and the words that they
say. By acknowledging the children's feelings and explaining them to the other students, the teacher
shows acceptance for the children (Gartrell, 2013a). Additionally, I plan on challenging the children so
their skills and abilities will develop further. Some examples might include introducing higher reading
level books to expand their knowledge and possibly some challenging puzzles or activities. I feel that I
am prepared and ready to soon begin my journey as an early childhood educator.

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References
Gartrell, D. (2012, September). Democratic Life Skill 1. Retrieved from
https://rowan.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-87551-dt-content-rid313454_1/courses/S_201440_41584_ECED_23320/Guidance1_YC0912.pdf
Gartrell, D. (2013a, March). Democratic Life Skill 2. Retrieved from
https://rowan.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-87551-dt-content-rid313453_1/courses/S_201440_41584_ECED_23320/Guidance_Matters2_0313.pdf
Gartrell, D. (2013b, July). Democratic Life Skill 3. Retrieved from
https://rowan.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-87551-dt-content-rid313452_1/courses/S_201440_41584_ECED_23320/Guidance_Matters_Gartrell3_0713.pdf
Gartrell, D. (2013c, November). Democratic Life Skill 4. Retrieved from
https://rowan.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-87551-dt-content-rid313456_1/courses/S_201440_41584_ECED_23320/YC1113_Guidance_Matters_Democratic_Sk
ill_4_Gartrell.pdf
Gartrell, D. (2014, March). Democratic Life Skill 5. Retrieved from
https://rowan.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-87551-dt-content-rid313455_1/courses/S_201440_41584_ECED_23320/YC0314_Guidance_Matters_Democratic_Sk
ill_5_Gartrell_0.pdf