In The Intentional Teacher, Ann Epstein makes these observations about teachers:
"There is much wisdom in early childhood educators. If teachers have the proper training, mentoring, and experience in a supportive work atmosphere (admittedly a big 'if'), they can be creative and thoughtful in the classroom. Teachers do not need prescriptive lesson plans to work effectively with young children.
"On the other hand, meaningful learning cannot be left to chance or instinct. There is a body of knowledge that teachers should know regarding how children learn and how best to teach them. Moreover, each content area has a set of knowledge and skills that teachers should study and be familiar with in order to assess what children know and determine how to scaffold further learning."
Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsPennsylvania, United States
Where is the higher pay coming from? Parents can't afford high cost daycare, at that rate, it makes more sense to stay home. If the government is paying for it, what does that mean? The government only makes money through taxing us. Who pays for the better salaries? Pennsylvania is already having issues with teacher pensions--there's no more money to spend.
As far as the article, I agree that we do not need prescriptive lessons. Plan the songs, art and what you'd like to talk about at school, but be ready to shift gears when the children have other ideas. Be engaged with the children, listen to them and care for them---care and education go hand in hand.
CSBC
Denver, CO, United States
This contribution is missing the most important piece; good teachers must be paid! The U.S. Department of HHS and U.S. Department of Education have just produced a fantastic document: High-Quality Early Learning Settings Depend on a High Quality Workforce. Low Compensation Undermines Quality. In it they profile the Abbot School District in NJ, where the courts have required Head Start and child care teachers to receive the same pay and benefits as k-12 teachers the district.
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