allowed Beatriz to observe what happened and work toward shared understanding and interpretation with Ms. Rivera.
This step is generative, not evaluative. The mentor’ s job is to create a space where it’ s safe to slow down and wonder about interactions that felt confusing or unresolved. Instead of framing the mismatch as a problem, the mentor and teacher can view it as a learning opportunity. This kind of reflective inquiry builds Ms. Rivera’ s capacity to notice and wonder, which is itself a form of professional growth.
Sensemaking to Understand the Child’ s Logic
Beatriz discusses with Ms. Rivera why Laila may have pointed to / r /.
Beatriz: What do you know about this child outside of school? Ms. Rivera: She loves superheroes. Her mom mentioned it at conferences. Beatriz: The card had a rainbow on it. What kinds of things in pop culture have rainbows that a 4-year-old who loves superheroes might know? Ms. Rivera: Rainbow Dash? Or— wait— she might have been thinking of Rainbow Brite. Or just the color. Beatriz: So there were at least two or three plausible things she could have been connecting to. What does that tell you about what you’ d want to ask next time? Ms. Rivera: I’ d want to ask what she was thinking, not assume I already knew.
Once the mentor and teacher have named the mismatch, the next step is to make sense of it, building on what was surprising or new. The mentor can ask the teacher,“ Given everything you know about this child, what could their response mean?” The goal is not to land on one correct interpretation. We’ ve found it helpful to think about this through three lenses: What the child brings, what the teacher brings, and the role of culture.
Considering What the Child Brings
Every child comes to the learning setting with funds of knowledge, or the experiences, relationships, stories, and knowledge from their home and community contexts that make them who they are. When a response seems off topic, it’ s often anchored to something real in the child’ s life.
Mentors can help teachers to think beyond what they know about a child’ s academic skills. In the vignette, Beatriz helped Ms. Rivera see that what looked like an error was grounded in Laila’ s real knowledge— a shift that only happened because Beatriz asked before assuming. What does this child love? What does their family talk about at home? What characters or stories are they excited by? When teachers intentionally consider what a child has said, they discover a window into the child’ s way of thinking.
Considering What the Teacher Brings
Educators can have assumptions about what a good or correct answer looks like based on their own experiences and backgrounds. After Beatriz prompted Ms. Rivera to think about Laila’ s interests and out-of-school experiences,
30 Educating Young Children
Fall 2026