The word “technology” means the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes and that is exactly what this engaging 6-part e-course is all about.

  • If you are an early childhood educator
    or parent who . . .

  • Frequently feels like the children “just won’t listen” . . . then this course is for you.

  • Would like to stop scolding, commanding, cajoling, and threatening . . . then this course is for you.

  • Regularly resorts to punishments and rewards . . . then this course is for you.

  • Wants children to be self-motivated and think for themselves . . . then this course is for you.

  • Is ready to be the kind of loving, respectful, and authoritative (as opposed to authoritarian) adult that children most need . . . then this course is definitely for you.

Who Do You Want To Be When The School Year Begins?

The educator who spends the day repeating yourself?

"Put that away."

"Come back here."

"How many times do I have to tell you?"

By October, many educators find themselves exhausted from managing behavior, enforcing rules, and trying to get children to cooperate.

Or...

The educator whose classroom feels different?

Where children participate because they feel ownership.

Where conflict is reduced because children are thinking, not merely reacting.

Where you spend less time controlling behavior and more time building relationships, supporting play, and enjoying the children in your care.

THE SCHOOL YEAR YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE BEGINS WITH THE HABITS YOU BRING INTO IT.

This Summer Camp gives you six days to practice a different way of speaking with children before they walk through your classroom door.


This Course Will Teach You

  • How to reduce conflict and increase cooperation by avoiding directive language and, instead, learn how to speak in ways that honor children as fully formed humans who are both capable and willing.

  • How our questions all too often remove children from their proper role as learners, turning them into test-takers who are merely reacting rather than thinking for themselves.

  • How and why the use of informative language can dramatically and almost immediately result in fewer conflicts and a better learning environment for both children and the important adults in their lives.

Scroll Down For A Deeper Look At What Will Be Covered

A course for both early childhood educators and parents of young children based on Teacher Tom's popular methodology. Discover how to fundamentally shift how you speak with young children so they can think for themselves.

Live Course Kickoff:
August 1, 8:00am PT with Teacher Tom

Teacher Tom will get the party started in a live Zoom session, and set the stage for how to get the most out of this short but intensive program.

Day 1:
Introduction

We've all known people who seemed to be able to work "magic" with young children, motivating, inspiring, and building relationships with them without raising their voices, bossing them around, scolding, or threatening. In reality, there is nothing magical about it. In this session, Teacher Tom shows how to apply scientific knowledge for practical purposes, which is the actual definition of technology.

Day 2:
How the Language We Use Creates Reality

In a very real sense, the language we use creates reality. The world around us is the result of the stories we tell, the ideas we express, and, indeed, everything we utter right down to individual sentences. And according to neuroscientists and philosophers, this isn't a metaphor, but actual reality. Teacher Tom illustrates how most of us use language without being aware of the reality we are shaping, often creating a world that is opposite of the one for which we hope.

Day 3:
The Language of Punishment, Disbelief, and Command

Pertaining to our roles as early childhood educators and as parents, Teacher Tom believes we should support children to achieve their highest potential versus aiming to control them. In this session, he explores three areas in which our language habits frequently sabotage our intentions, inadvertently creating a world we would rather not share, one in which children experience the adult as dominant, punitive, and commanding.

Day 4:
The Language of Informative Statements

Where Our Power Lies

Our power lies in our use of informative statements, statements of fact that create a "space" in which young children can actually think for themselves. In this session, Teacher Tom examines strategies for stepping back from the language of control and command and replacing it with the "magic" (or technology) of informative statements.

Day 5:
Best Language for Rules and Tidy Up Time

We are most prone to using the language of command when it comes to enforcing rules and rallying children for tidy up time: "No hitting!" "No taking things from people!" "Put that away!" "Stop playing!" Teacher Tom shares how to apply the technology of speaking with children to create an environment in which children are more likely to abide by the rules and participate in community activities of their own accord. And why this is always preferable to being compelled to do so by a bossy adult.

Day 6:
Examples, Stories, and Wrap-Up

The habit of speaking with controls and commands, even for most experienced educators, is a difficult one to break. In this session, Teacher Tom offers specific examples and illustrative stories that help us deepen our understanding of how the technology of speaking with children works, both in the classroom and at home.

Live Celebration: August 8, 8am PST

Join Teacher Tom as he wraps up Summer Camp and celebrates your completion on August 8th!

This celebration is optional; and will not be recorded.

*You are not required to have completed the course by this date; you have lifetime access to work through or review the episodes.

About Teacher Tom

Tom "Teacher Tom" Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.

For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school, knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy.

Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online courses for early childhood educators and parents; produces online early childhood conferences, e.g., Teacher Tom's Play Summit 2022; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.

He has authored two bestselling books, aptly named Teacher Tom's First Book, and Teacher Tom's Second Book.
REGISTER NOW


How This Course Works

  • If you register in time and get a spot, you’ll be joining our special Summer Camp cohort — the only one with a daily-drop format and a live kickoff with Teacher Tom!

  • Rather than sending you the entire course at once, you’ll receive one module each day for 6 days, starting August 2nd.

  • Each day you'll get 30–45 minutes of video in bite-sized nuggets, plus about 15 minutes for your reflection guide/workbook. That’s about 1 hour per day.

  • In parallel, Teacher Tom will encourage you to post your insights, reflections, and questions in our community space — where he’ll check in and respond daily.

  • Earn and receive a 6-hour Certificate of Attendance signed by Teacher Tom upon completion of the course (i.e., you’ve watched all of the videos and downloaded/filled out each of the six reflection guides/workbooks.)

  • Keep up with the cohort and complete the course 100% by August 8th to attend the 90-minute live Graduation Celebration with Teacher Tom at 8:00am PT. Save the date!

What Others Say About Teacher Tom

Dawn C.

"Teacher Tom has completely changed both how I teach and how I parent."

Isabella M.

"It's amazing how little changes in how we speak with children transform everything. I love Teacher Tom's insights on how to give children the space to do their own thinking."

Lavanda H.

"I wish every parent, not just teachers, had this information."

Register for Teacher Tom's Summer Camp

$119/person Early Bird

(through June 22)


$145/person

(June 23 - July 31)


WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • Live Kickoff with Teacher Tom, Saturday, August 1st, 8am PST

  • Live Wrap-Up Celebration with Teacher Tom, Saturday, August 8th, 8am PST

  • Daily Course Video Lessons (can be watched any time)

  • Six Mini Workbooks to journal insights and "ahas"

  • Private Summer Camp community to network and connect with Teacher Tom

  • 6 Hour PD Certificate signed by Teacher Tom

  • Lifetime Access
REGISTER NOW

Group Discount Pricing

Groups of 5 or more automatically receive a 20% discount off early bird or regular registration.

Schools and ECE program directors, please contact [email protected] about larger groups (100 persons and higher) to discuss additional discounts and bespoke PD programs for your community.
Group Registration

Grab your spot before the Early Bird pricing ends

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who is this course for?

    While it is specifically designed for early childhood educators, directors, and childcare owners, parents and grandparents of young children will also find it invaluable too.

  • What will I learn?

    Like with anything worth doing, you will get out of it what you put into it. This course is designed in the spirit of play-based learning in that I avoid direct instruction, “how to’s,” tick boxes, and lists of learning objectives. Instead, my approach is to assume that you are a motivated, intelligent, committed adult. I share my best thinking, tell stories, and ask probing questions intended to make you think about yourself, the families in your school life, and what you can do given your own unique situation. As a result you will feel both inspired and empowered to take action.

  • Do I need any special qualifications?

    Absolutely! This is a course for self-motivated enthusiastic educators who want their learning environment to become the most empowering "third teacher" in the lives of the children in their care. This is also a great course for self-motivated parents, grandparents, and caregivers who want to transform their home areas into natural learning habitats for the young children in their lives.

  • Will this course really offer you something better and different?

    I guarantee that you have never taken a course like this one. It will challenge you, it will probably even make you mad at times, but it will also cause you to think and grow. Most importantly, you will feel empowered and enabled to transform your place of learning into the very best "teaching partner."

  • When does the course start?

    The live kickoff session with Teacher Tom is on Saturday, August 1st, at 8am PST, and the first lesson will be published on August 2nd.

  • How does it work?

    Starting Saturday, August 1st, and every day for the next six days, you’ll receive access to one module of the course along with a work book. You can watch that day’s episodes at any time that’s convenient for you, as long as you do so prior to the next day. We will all be working through the material together as a cohort, day-by-day. (If you can’t watch it that day that’s ok too, since you have lifetime access, but you’ll have more fun if you keep up with the cohort.)

  • How much time will I need to spend?

    At the start of each day, you’ll get about forty five minutes of video in bite sized chunks. You’ll watch these and then spend another 15 minutes or so each day filling out your reflection guide/workbook. In total, you’ll be investing about one hour every day between August 2nd and August 7th.

  • Do I have to attend at a particular time?

    No. :-) You can watch the sessions and work through the reflection guide any time that is convenient for you; after that you can share your insights and ideas at any time in our online community area and Teacher Tom will comment and “cheer you on.”

  • How long will I have access to the content?

    You will have lifetime access and can go back to it as often as you like.

  • Where does the course community connect?

    Our virtual meet-up place is the dedicated course community associated with our course on Thinkific.com, where we will share insights, ask questions, and celebrate successes.

  • What about the live graduation webinar?

    If you've kept up with the cohort and have completed the course 100% by midnight on August 7th, you will be invited to attend a live Zoom graduation webinar on August 8th at 8:00 am PST. Save the date.

  • Will we be tracking your progress?

    You bet! Not only is this necessary for issuing your proof of completion certificate, but it is part of keeping us all accountable.

  • Will I get personal feedback from Teacher Tom?

    Yes! I will do my best to respond to all comments in our online course community in Thinkific, so please participate! You'll get more out of it, and you'll have more fun.

  • Can I get professional development credits?

    Yes! After you complete the course, you will automatically receive a 6-Hour Certificate of Attendance signed by me, Teacher Tom

  • What does the course cost?

    The cost is USD $145/person, with Early Bird pricing of USD $119/person, and USD $116/person for groups of 5 or more.