Class Reaction for March 11

Our discussion about whether teachers are professional provoked more emotion from our cohort than I have seen on any discussion. It is clear that we are all sacrificing money, time and effort in our pursuit of a career in early childhood education. It is a bit disheartening to recognize that we believe that the public does not see early childhood teachers as professionals. With just the comments of our small group it is clear why the public perceives us this way. I think we also did come to some consensus on the type of expert knowledge that we bring to teaching that some may consider professional.

First of all teachers are not considered professionals by the public, because of the way we present ourselves. The focus is on the children, but as public employees it is the taxpayers that ultimately pay our salaries. Teachers would be served to acknowledge this and address it. We discussed how appearance of many teachers is not professional. We laughed about Cathy sharing that some of the elementary teachers in her district switched to bedroom slippers. The prinicpal had to stop this practice. Vincent pointed out the incorrect spellings on the picket signs of teachers. I shared this story with my family, and my husband showed me the many incorrectly spelled words in a student handbook. This perception is not going to change as long as teachers do not recognize that they must present themselves as professionals. My former background is in hospital management. Though the patient is ultimately the concern, the effective manager must always address the needs of the physician. No hospital can survive without physicians who have confidence in the facility and refer patients. Teachers should take the same care with their community and parents.

Second, we did come to a consensus that early childhood teachers do not have a professional knowledge or expert pedagogical knowledge. We do offer a unique understanding of appropiate developmental behavior combined with extended time with the child. This is the area that we may actually be seen as a professional service. I can think of no other profession that can address that need. The parent can teach their children this material without us. The homeschool movement clearly demonstrates this. What the school brings is social learning and a professional(the teacher) who can objectively assess the child based on observation and child development knowledge.

The analysis of this question has changed my perspective about teaching. I am a bit of an optimist, so I believe that I can change this public perception where I am . I plan to take time to consider how I appear to the public as well as I plan my work with my children. In the 1980s I built marketing plans to address the needs of patients. At the same time I worked on addressing the needs of doctors who worked with these patients. As I work with children in my school, I will consider the needs and perception of the community I serve.