Becoming as Human as We Can Be

09/11/2023

Becoming as Human as We Can Be

You can't sit around waiting for someone else to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it!
Faith Ringgold, painter, writer, quilter, sculptor

Near the end of From Teaching to Thinking, co-author Margie Carter sets out a clear challenge to us all, reflecting her years of serving and reflecting on our field from numerous vantage points:

I want us to say No to the dominant story that says our role is to get children ready to compete in the marketplace. We say No to teacher-proof curriculum packages with assessment tools that will "fix" the children (and teachers) that we have failed to respect, to invest our hearts and minds in. ¡Basta! We know that this worldview leads us down a destructive path, and we have had enough. We have enough evidence that another world is possible, and this is the world we want our work to create. We say YES to a narrative of joy and beauty, of wonder and tears and music. We will tell stories that matter, stories that ask questions, stories that call forward our dearest values and biggest vision.

While the disruptive shadow of a global pandemic still looms over much of the early childhood world, magnifying long-standing issues from workforce to well-being, Pelo and Carter’s pre-pandemic opus remains a bold call to action, both challenging and inspiring:

Our endeavor of pedagogical documentation involves finding and telling the stories that matter, the good news of becoming as human as we can be. How else will we survive?

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.