Why I love being an Early Childhood Educator

I love working as a teacher of young children. I have worked in the field since 1986.

I enjoy creating warm and homey environments for young children in daycare. The reason for doing this is to create inviting spaces so children feel comfortable and at home and safe and  interested in learning - both with one or two other children, or alone.

As this picture shows - fall, and Halloween was in the air.  Hanging above the table are paper chains the children created with construction paper and glue. There are table cloths  made by me, to create a warmer atmosphere. I have always loved to take care in the way I provided materials, and set up a room for my children.

I have been a teacher of young children since 1986. Early Childhood Education has changed, and goes through its trends, but there are certain things that for me hasn't changed - children love songs, stories, games, and all kinds of art activities.

 In the past few years teachers of young children, have been providing more open ended activities, and lots of sensory activities - play dough, flubber, all kinds of sand, grains, pastas, etc. to manipulate. I love  offering sensory play for children.

 

  Providing natural objects for exploration and discovery can create an interesting invitation.

I find the small creations of children interesting. Children create meaning for themselves from simple materials, often in ways we wouldn't think show organization.

I enjoy reading about the Reggio Emilia way of early childhood education. Transparency is one part of this philosophy, as seen in art which allows light to shine through materials, as well as in the relationships between teacher and families - especially through documentation.

 

I love providing art for young children - from more traditional seasonal art, to open ended art . Art is best when it is about the process, not about a finished product. This was our instructors' mantra in the ECE course I took from 1986 to 1987 - "Process not product".

Children still do enjoy making seasonal art too, like" Hand print turkeys".

I provided these small easels and acrylic paint for the children to create Christmas gifts for their families.

And next the children used cookie cutters to create wrapping paper for their gifts.

I enjoy creating hand made activities using simple materials like boxes, and plastic containers.

A parent picked up this large box for the room, and it was much used as a quiet spot.

I enjoy science activities with young children, and creating the opportunity to experience wonder. My small group of 2 and 3 year olds and I forced tulip bulbs over one winter, and then planted them.

These are apple saplings. So often children wonder about planting their apple seeds or orange seeds. So one day we sprouted some apple seeds, and later planted them.

In the world of Early Childhood Education, teachers work to observe our children, become aware of their developing interests, and then facilitate play and learning opportunities based on what the children want to learn. We follow their lead.





It requires us to be open and flexible. And that is why I love working as a teacher of young children - it allows me to be open to new ideas and to see things from a child's perspective.
This is what I love most about teaching young children.