Professionalism In ECE

Decent Essays
Preforming Professionally in ECE Ever Garrison one said, “A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils.” Because of this, a teacher must and is one of the most important influences in a child’s life. A child starts out with little direction, but with every interaction, and with every moment that child is growing and gaining knowledge and skill. A teacher needs to be able to point that child’s compass in the right direction and they cannot do so without having a professional attitude. Since professionalism is not a limited topic, it covers a multitude of areas in early childhood education, including personal characteristics, educational attainment, professional practice, and public presentation. …show more content…
To be professional is to know “…the history of ECE and the ideas and values that have shaped it; understanding programs and policies that are currently in place, and being aware of educational approaches such as Montessori and Reggio Amelia” (Feeney 2012). Knowing where something came from is an important step in knowing where it is going and how and why it is what it is today. History is also the best way to learn from past mistakes, and to be able to move forward and up in society. Understanding how something was shaped can allow a teacher to give their own ideas as spin on an old idea to allow the learning in the classroom to thrive. In addition to being educated about the history of ECE, one should also know the importance of developmental domains. “Early childhood educators also need to understand the interrelatedness of developmental domains as well as major influences on children’s development…” (Feeney 2012). Although every child develops differently, knowing what is expected for each age group can help identify when the child may need early intervention because of their development stage. This knowledge is put to use especially when observing a child. When I observed a child, I always kept in mind their age and the expectations I should have for their development. This was useful because …show more content…
One way this can be done is by being educated about heathy food in the school by starting “…a little student garden…teach[ing] them the values of home growing products” (K. Nellis, personal communication, September 30, 2015). The importance of heathy food can easily be lost on out generation of fast and convenient food. Adding a small garden into a classroom can be an effective and useful way to allow kids to be excited about heathy food, while still having the children learn though all the mediums of learning. While this is an effective tool to put in a classroom, it is also important to establish a variety of interactions to encourage a child’s learning. Some of the most important ones include, “Interacting with children to establish warm relationships, build trust, observe and listen, and model behavior. Managing the classroom to…care for the safety of the environment and maintain the activity of the program” (Gordon & Browne, 2013). I have seen the usefulness of these qualities first hand. Once I was watching a one-year old at a park and he was being fussy for a reason I could not yet see. I put him on a bench and told him to stay until he was ready to play, which is what his parents told me to do when he fussed. I knew that he wanted to be held, but I was watching two other two year olds and I also knew that he would never

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