Early childhood teachers work directly with children to teach them, talk with them, guide their behaviors, and to provide for their physical and psychological growth and development. Early childhood teachers also document children’s progress, model appropriate interactions, and nurture their students. Teachers also interact with the adults in the children’s lives to build an essential connection with each child and their families.

One of the primary goals of the early childhood educator is to be a nurturing teacher: one who promotes respect among everyone involved in the classroom. This level of respect is underlined by a sense of the joy in teaching children. You may have an image in your mind of what a nurturing teacher might look like, and it could include some of the behaviors and tasks listed above. It also includes building a caring learning community that creates a positive classroom community.  A caring community goes  beyond having the appropriate number of math manipulatives. In fact, creating warm inviting classrooms is among some of the most important work that early childhood teachers do for children and families. Positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do as teachers, and the messages we send leave lasting impressions that  lay a foundation for children’s approaches to learning for the rest of their lives.

Each day you walk into the classroom you bring a set of personal and professional values that guide your work. Although there is no one  correct way or one personality that lends itself better to the teaching profession, there are tendencies, personalities, and skills that contribute to the daily success you will have working in the profession. We will begin the book by exploring what all teachers of young children carry with them as they enter the classroom each day.

The Teacher as a Person

Who you are as a person will be the foundation of the daily work that you do with children and families.  You will bring with you the skills and knowledge that you have about children and child development, your life experiences, your personal values and morality, as well as your own temperament and personality. Attitudes that you hold about diversity and inclusion of children will factor into how your classroom is set up and managed.

Skills and Knowledge

Every profession has a set of skills and a knowledge base that individuals within that profession use to define the field. For example, a dentist should have skills to check your teeth and fill cavities, and a car mechanic has knowledge about how to diagnose a faulty carburetor. Working as an effective teacher means that you have knowledge and a specialized skill set about many topics within the profession of early childhood education. It also requires that you stay current in the knowledge base of early childhood education and work to apply professional knowledge and skills for the benefit of young children and in partnership with their families.

A recent study entitled Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores implications of research-based child development practices that influence those who work with children (Committee on the Science of Children et al., 2015). The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has relied on this book and its findings to inform the Power to the Profession movement dedicated to improving the well-being of all children focusing on the educational development services for children, birth to age eight. NAEYC has a set of national standards for early childhood professional preparation programs described in Chapter 2 of this text.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (Washington State Department of Child, Youth, and Families (DCYF)) has published a set of core competencies[/pb_glossary] and frameworks (2022) to guide decisions and practices carried out by professionals in all early care and education settings. These competencies coordinate and design courses for certificates and degrees as part of the skills and knowledge Washington state feels is important for teachers to possess. These are described in detail in Chapter 11.

Washington state also has a set of certificates called Washington State Stackable Certificates that build on one another and can lead to an Associate degree in early childhood education. The certificates are offered at community colleges throughout the state and are the starting point in Washington to begin a career in early learning. This course, ECED 105 Introduction to Early Childhood Education, is one of the courses listed in the Initial 12-credit certificate, so you are on your way to acquiring the skills and knowledge recommended by our state.

As you work in the field, you will gain a set of skills through college courses along with earning your annual 10 hours of professional development training requirements through the Managed Education and Registry Information Tool (MERIT). Many experiences will contribute to your personalized knowledge and skills that are unique to you and your work. Your experiences might include your day-to-day interactions with children and families, your work with colleagues and leaders in the field, membership in professional organizations, additional reading you enjoy about a particular topic, or choosing to pursue advanced degrees.

Life Experiences

Each of us brings our life experiences with us into our work, including our whole history as a person from early childhood and beyond. Each day when you walk into your classroom, you are bringing your personality, temperament, attitudes, and values that grow from your culture, community, and the  individual influences on your own early childhood experiences.

Your early childhood experiences shaped you and are worth thoughtful reflection as you enter the field. Recognize that your experiences will not be the same ones that you provide to the children you work with. Both the positive, as well as the not-so-positive parts of our past influences our work. Compassionately caring for children requires that you know and acknowledge your past experiences, remembering that self-care is critical. There is a parable that states “you cannot pour from an empty cup." In one sense, this means it is important to fill your cup by reviewing your past in nonjudgmental ways. Then use your new insights as you observe and work with children. Recognizing that everyone experiences negative feelings and experiences can provide you with a critical lens as you assist a child struggling with their own self-acceptance.

Part of the reflective process (a process that is a critical component to working with children) is to think about every interaction you have with children and families and determine who you want to be as a teacher.

Personal Values and Morality

Personal [pb_glossary id=506]values are the things that are important to us. They are the characteristics and behaviors that motivate us and guide our decision making. Our values are comprised of the moral code that guides our actions and defines who we are. Some values follow a universal rule of conduct. Other values are personal and are defined by our family of origin, our cultural and religious beliefs, and the communities in which we live and work. Our life experiences will also impact the values we hold as a person.

Maybe you have chosen to work  with children and families because you value children. You could also be motivated by social justice, equality, a passion for learning, or an experience you had as a child. Awareness of your values and recognizing that not everyone will have the same set of values as you is the foundation of that makes you you.

Figure 1.2. Preschool girl and teacher in garden. What values do you bring to the children you work with? / Photo Credit: Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages, CC BY-NC 4.0

Personal morality has roots firmly in early childhood education. At a very young age we learn about right and wrong through the adults that care for and guide us. We learn morality in our homes, classrooms, neighborhoods, as well as our places of worship and communities.  As we navigate how to treat others and respect differences, morality becomes the basis of how we make daily choices. The NAEYC code of ethics, which you will learn about in the next chapter, is a professional document that offers guidance as you work with children and families, especially if situations arise that cause you to question or think about the situation as it is related to your individual set of values and morals.

Temperament Personality

Temperament is defined as a set of inborn traits that organize the way we approach the world. These traits are instrumental in the way we learn about the world around us. Researchers Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess (1977) have studied temperament related to ways in which we respond to the environments where we live and work (and for children, play!). Figure 1.3 below illustrates the nine individual traits as related to adult learning shown in a continuum model. Remember that these traits are not good or bad but provide information about how we interact within our environments.

Look at the continuum above and place yourself. Are you at the higher end of the continuum in activity level (very high/active), or anywhere along the continuum to low/inactive?  These temperament traits are good fits for individuals working with children daily: positive quality of mood and higher activity levels, for example.

Traits are seen as  “goodness of fit” when a person’s temperament aligns with the tasks necessary in a job or career.  If you don’t possess certain traits for a career, that can be a starting point for thinking about how your personality fits into the field of early learning.

Attitudes about Diversity and Inclusion

Messages we get as young children influence our attitudes as adults. We have developed attitudes about groups of people who differ from us in culture, language, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, appearance, ability, or religion. We develop expectations about people, and it is important to recognize this within ourselves and the communities where we work. A bias is “a tendency, inclination, or prejudice toward or against something or someone” (Psychology Today, n.d., para. 1). Some biases are positive and helpful (like choosing to eat foods that are considered healthy). However, bias is often based on stereotypes, rather than actual knowledge of an individual or circumstance, and this can often lead to prejudgment or discriminatory practice.

Many people struggle to recognize their own biases, and everyone has some bias. Our brains attempt to categorize people and things that are like us and people and things that are unlike us. If taken to the extreme, this type of categorization can bring about feelings of an us-versus-them mentality, which can lead to harmful prejudice. Bias is a universal human condition and even the most dedicated and well-meaning teachers hold beliefs that may affect their students. If left unexamined, these beliefs can be harmful. Identifying your own biases will help you to resist having a negative effect on the children and families that you work with. When you recognize a bias, be aware of it and take responsibility for your to feelings so that your bias doesn't lead to negative reactions.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor once said, “Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see” (2001, para. 23). This recognition of bias holds true in the field of early childhood education as well.

Inclusion is the “act or practice of including: the state of being included” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Sometimes in the field of Education, the term inclusion is reserved for conversations around special needs children and the importance of including all children in work and play. Inclusion can also be seen in day-to-day practice when children might leave a child behind in play or say something like “you’re not invited to my birthday party” in an attempt to exclude a particular child.

Teachers can support all children by helping them to understand that they are an important part of the school community. Our job is to foster a development of belonging that will prepare children for life in their community as they grow.

Attributions

1. Figure 1.1: A Kid Learning to Play the Guitar by Kampus Production is released under Pexels
2. Figure 1.2: Preschool girl and teacher in garden by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages is released under CC BY-NC 4.0
3. Figure 1.3: Thomas and Chess Temperament Continuum Examples by Gayle Julian is released under CC BY 4.0