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Can Anyone Teach?
May 11, 2009
There is no poetry where there are no mistakes.
-Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate
-Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate
For decades, NAEYC and others have fought against the insulting and debilitating view that "anybody can teach." Yet, it is true today — and will become even more true in the future — "anybody" is teaching. Many centers have had to fill teaching roles with "anybody." Hopefully, though, most programs are not using just anybody, but gentle, kind people who appreciate and know children and enjoy caring for them. Some, perhaps many of these people (given the chance), help children learn and make an effort to help them develop a positive sense of self.
If we are not going to have many teachers to choose from, how do we promote education? The answer is not to create teacher-proof curriculum. Nothing is worse than the "teaching" at children in teacher-directed formats by low-skilled "teachers." It dulls everyone's intellect — adults and children — and leads to oppressive child management practices. Unfortunately, a great many centers throw marginally trained people into the ring as teachers, as if the title and the large print activity guide will act as Dumbo's magic feather. Other centers fortunate to have a few well-trained staff in a few classrooms agonize over quality differences from room to room and fluctuations in quality as these teachers come and go during the day, week, and year.
Teaching environments only work with teachers. In fact, teaching environments in early childhood only work with very skilled teachers. It is not easy to create a place for individual young children in classroom groups to live and learn over a ten-hour day. It is hard to cater to so many different interests, abilities, rhythms, and personalities.
What's the alternative? We can create learning environments, designed to work with staff with few teaching skills. If we can find people who are "good" with children, we can design learning environments that work with those people. In the wilds of homes, backyards, and streets, children play and learn, developmentally appropriately. It is only when we place them in institutional group settings under adult direction that this becomes an issue.
Designing learning environments that are less dependent on teaching requires searching for new models and drawing off old ones. Children's museums, some nature centers, and playgrounds represent settings designed for teacher-less learning environments. Open classrooms and Montessori environments were designed for independent learning with less teacher direction.
What then to expect from most staff? The ability to treat children with respect and gentleness, a willingness to converse with children — listen to them, ask questions based on their activities. With training and experience, perhaps those who stay will develop the skill to ask those questions that will nudge the child toward greater understanding and new challenge.
A learning environment approach can maximize the human talent available to the program because those who do have early childhood training and experience can put that to use in supervision and in developing classrooms — building learning into the environment, designing learning centers and self-directed activities, organizing storage, and staff orientation materials.
This week the Exchange book, Places for Childhoods: Making Quality Happen in the Real World, which includes many of Jim Greenman's provocative Exchange articles, including "Don't Happy, Be Worried: Connecting Up the Dots" is on sale at a 20% discount.
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ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
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Comments (6)
Displaying All 6 CommentsBoalsburg, PA, United States
Educated staff is important. But the basic make-up of the staff person is absolutely necessary for our children to develop into self-confident inquisitive people who are open to learning... "The ability to treat children with respect and gentleness, a willingness to converse with children — listen to them, ask questions based on their activities." Education does not create this type of person.
The environment is extremely important in an early childhood setting and must be set-up by persons who have an in-depth understanding of early childhood development. A rich environment and caring staff can provide children with a positive self-image and a love for learning.
Athens Technical College
Athens, GA, United States
I would like to object to the following statement "Montessori environments were designed for independent learning with less teacher direction." This statement minimizes the role of the Montessori teacher. Montessori teachers spend a great amount of time setting up the environment and modeling for the children. Children may be doing more independent work in a Montessori classroom but the classrooms function so well because of the knowledge and efforts of the teacher. Montessori teachers are very educated.
We cannot settle for less educated and less qualified teachers in preschool classrooms. The discussion should not be how can we make a "teacher proof classroom." The discussion should be how can we required that skill professionals work with our most important resource, our children. I would not want my child in a "teacher proof classroom." I want my child to have positive interactions with a trained professional who enjoys their job.
Aurora, ON, Canada
Point taken - environment as third teacher - Reggio Emilia style. However, accepting the environment to take over for educated people? No way. We need to keep pushing the importance and fighting the fight. (Although I have been doing this for thirty years.) We are seeing steps being taken in Ontario, (a college of ECE,) but as long as some centres get by with minimally trained staff so they can pay minimum wage, things will not improve. It' educated people that set up excellent environments and treat ECE as a profession, not just a job.
K-State Center for Child Development
Manhattan, KS, United States
We would love to do this. In fact, it has been our only option. Therefore, we have developed hands-on trianing our staff who do not have experience and training. However, all of our partners are now requiring us to become accredited. We can not become accredited without most of our teachers having AA or BA degrees in early childhood. How will we ever be able to hire people with degrees with our low wages? Something has to change! Either groups stop requiring accreditation so we can hire kind loving people and train them - or we are somehow subsidized so we can raise our wages.
Empowering Programs
Essex Junction, VT, United States
Thank you! You made my day by sharing Jim Greenman's article with the world. I will miss his brilliant tongue-and-cheek commentary. Like the other great leaders in our profession, he has left us with a lot of material to review, decode, discuss, argue, and enjoy.
I love it!
Just saying NO to flashcards!
-Scott Noyes
University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME, United States
C'mon.. you really think that we EC educators are going to close the achievement gap in this country with standards as low as these? Your environmental approach may work with middle class children who are getting all they need at home. But, read the research on what we need to be doing in preschool to help children succeed in school and life. And, yes, it can be developmentally appropriate-just not in the same paradigm we have always had.
I am so frustrated with this low bar attitude it makes me want to leave CCIE in the dust.
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