Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  Professionalism resources

    Posted 08-10-2018 04:27 PM
    I'm struggling with some young teachers and helping them understand what professionalism in our field looks like.  I feel strongly that I want to offer an environment that is not rigid, so adding more rules for them to follow isn't really an option for me.  I was wondering if anyone has some good training resources on professionalism.  I was hoping for a video or a webinar that would be easy to show.  Thanks in advance!

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    Alissa Mwenelupembe
    St. Vincent Early Learning Center
    Evansville IN
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  • 2.  RE: Professionalism resources

    Posted 08-11-2018 08:29 AM
    We are struggling with the same issue.  One thing that is working for us is a mentor program.  We identified four teachers who take their career as early childhood educators very seriously and did a mentor/coaching series of trainings with them.  We then paired them with a younger teacher who do not necessarily see themselves as professionals.  

    It is a very structured program with a year commitment, one hour meetings between mentor/mentee every other week, goals, observations, discussions, reading assignments, etc.  

    Administratively we had to make a commitment to the resources to make sure it is implemented properly (primarily time for meetings and observations but also providing mentors with access to resources to support their mentee) and we added a financial incentive for the mentors upon completion of the one year expectations.  We also paid for a NAEYC membership for both the mentors and mentees so that they would have a connection to a professional organization.

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    Cindy Britt
    Jonesboro GA
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  • 3.  RE: Professionalism resources

    Posted 08-11-2018 09:52 AM
    I have found that Fairy Dust Teaching offers amazing webinar videos on this and is presented in a manner that catches the attention of someone who is willing to learn.  I agree more rules are not going to increase professionalism.

    https://fairydustteaching.com/

    Blog: http://fromfingerprintstomasterpieces.blogspot.com/2018/03/i-am-more-than-just-preschool-teacher.html

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    Helen Meissner
    Lead Teacher
    Love To Grow On
    Saint Paul MN
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  • 4.  RE: Professionalism resources

    Posted 08-11-2018 11:04 AM
    I have been in the early childhood profession for over 50 years and have had experience both as a director and college professor preparing early childhood teachers for the field. I hope what I suggest below will help you.

    Before even thinking about what to do about these new teachers, you need to take into account what their professional preparation is. So, what is the professional preparation of these young teachers and how much experience have they had working with young children?

    One way to take care of "professional behavior" issues is to have policies and guidelines for expected behaviors at work. In my years of working in the field and visiting many early childhood centers, this is the easiest way to take care of issues, at a basic level such as how to dress for work, maintaining confidentiality about conversations with families, discipline philosophy regarding how children's misbehavior is managed, use of cell phones in the classroom, and expectations about how language is used in the classroom, etc.

    New teachers need to be oriented to their positions and then continuously mentored at least through their first year. In addition, continued employment should be connected to evaluations of their teaching and classroom skill development and adherence to expected school behaviors as well as their effectiveness in promoting the children's development in all areas and building relationships with the children and other adults in the school. These evaluations should occur more than once a year for new employees.

    I hope this helps. Best of luck.

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    Nora Krieger
    Associate Professor Emerita/ Chair NJEEPRE
    Bloomfield College/ New Jersey Educators Exploring the Practices of Reggio Emilia
    Highland Park NJ
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  • 5.  RE: Professionalism resources

    Posted 08-11-2018 01:59 PM
    Hi Alissa, I have a power point I presented at The Association for the Study of Play.  You do knot mention if you are play-based.  If you are you may be interested in this power point.  It is titled:  Play, Spirituality, and Nature.  My work is on Spiritual Development of young children that embraces wonder, awe, joy, and empathy.  I looked for a definition of spirituality that does not connect to god and religion so that all children could be included.  I believe children need strong and loving relationships, someone who sees them so deeply that they are able to create a play environment that can touch each and every child's inner disposition.  When this occurs, children can spend time exploring within friendship those things that bring them moments of wonder.  This then leads to authentic and responsive moments of kindness and empathy from the children.  This type of interaction can lead to strong learning and kinder children.  Let me know if you are interested and I will send you some slides.
    Deb
    Ps Please feel free to check our my webpage

    Deborah Schein

    Growing Wonder LLC

    216-409-4237

    schein.deborah@gmail.com