Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/cultivating-dispositions-for-cultural-democracy/5019658/
If I’m teaching ten children in a preschool classroom, I am impacting their lives; but with a classroom of ten preschool teachers, I am impacting the life of a hundred children.I chose to open this article with a thought I had ten years ago about the impact of teaching in the early childhood field, because it speaks to my underlying philosophy and my motivation for shifting my focus from the preschool classroom to working with adults. I wrote it many years ago when asked why I work with children. Teachers often respond, “I love children. I enjoy working with children.” However, I work with children because I want to do what I can to impact the quality of their lives and their access to quality education, health care, and integration into society in general. I realized that I could do more by working with teachers. A recent conversation with my 24-year-old son confirmed for me the importance of centering my work in teacher education on cultivating dispositions for cultural democracy.
My son Javier wrote in one of his school papers that he wished I had been more involved in his school when he was younger. This shocked me and provoked a ...