Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/ideas-for-training-staff-what-should-we-be-emphasizing/5013882/
Recently a seasoned director and I were discussing a new teacher he had hired. An older woman with an early childhood degree from 20 years ago had interviewed well and seemed to respond thoughtfully to the children as he observed her with them. Now, after only a month on the job, she was saying she wasn't sure she wanted to stay. The job wasn't quite what she expected and she didn't know if she had the energy for it. This led us to an interesting dialogue about the assumptions and expectations both teachers and parents tend to have when they come to our early childhood programs.Michael said, "We make a lot of room for childhood here in our center. I think sometimes people expect education to look quiet and orderly." Our discussion went on to bemoan how adults often want to control kids, to get them to pay attention to our ideas about what they should be doing. Adults often think children are bad when they do something different. We don't see what children are capable of when we are so focused on who we want them to be, rather than who they are. We want children to show respect ...