What Preschoolers Know About Excellence | Kendall Syska | TEDxRiverfield Country Day School

Early childhood educator Kendall Syska looks at what preschoolers already understand about learning and excellence. Drawing on classroom observations from a Reggio-inspired environment in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and on research in psychology and neuroscience, the talk examines curiosity, creativity, collaboration, resilience and learning from mistakes. It argues that excellence can be seen as the willingness to stay curious, adaptable and engaged in discovery rather than as flawless performance.

• Observations from early childhood classrooms
• Curiosity, creativity, collaboration and resilience
• Learning through mistakes as a basis for growth
• Rethinking excellence as engagement rather than perfection

In a world that often equates excellence with achievement, performance, and perfection, preschoolers reveal a different model. Through observations from early childhood classrooms alongside research in psychology and neuroscience, this talk explores how curiosity, creativity, collaboration, resilience, and learning through mistakes form the foundation of meaningful growth. By examining what young children already understand about learning, audiences are invited to reconsider excellence not as flawless performance, but as the courage to remain curious, adaptable, and engaged in the process of discovery. Kendall Syska is an Early Childhood Educator at Riverfield Country Day School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, working in a Reggio-inspired environment that values curiosity, collaboration, and exploration. She grew up in Houston, Texas, and later moved to Stillwater to attend Oklahoma State University, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology while working in children’s programs supporting international student families in toddler and after-school settings. These experiences shaped Kendall’s interest in how young children learn through relationships, play, and experimentation. Her work now explores what these early learning experiences reveal about human development and how they challenge the way we think about excellence, growth, and education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx