Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/how-it-all-began/5023622/
We asked the members of the Exchange Leadership Initiative to tell the stories that launched their careers, helped catapult their work from a profession to a calling, and inspired them as leaders in early childhood education. They talk about the special influence of personal relationships — with children, teachers, and other mentors. They speak eloquently of their awareness of the importance of the work we all do and their own commitment to continued expansion of their own knowledge base. Throughout, their passion for young children and for the field is evident.
Here is what they shared.
It has been almost 50 years since I stepped foot in the early childhood industry. As I look back, I vividly remember the event that solidified in my mind the value of the positive start for young children. Prior to opening our first location we were doing training and one of the exercises was ‘experiencing’ the curriculum first hand. The question was asked, “How do we implement the curriculum that had been designed?” Someone picked up a stick and said, “Show me all that can be taught from this stick.” She picked up the stick and proceeded to talk about it. She passed the stick to the ...