I recently read over the Position Statements from NAEYC (2015), especially the position statement concerning unacceptable practices in kindergarten classrooms (NAEYC, 2015). I found myself saying "Aha!" quite a few times for two reasons: 1. I am aware of school districts participating in practices that are not acceptable such as retention of young children and misuse of screening tools, and 2. I have been expressing my dislike for both of these practices in my 18 years of teaching and now have a document to refer to besides my own professional experiences and development (NAEYC, 2015).
It is unfortunate that policy makers are the ones making the decisions about the education processes of our young children when we have a strong field of early childhood educators who know firsthand the best practices for young children to learn and thrive. I also empathize with my elementary school colleagues as they also feel pressured to deviate from best practice for fear of losing their jobs based on the progress and success of their students. All teachers should be ready for all of their students and needs.
I encourage you to check out the NAEYC website if you have not already done so but especially the NAEYC position statements because they are well researched and written by strong early childhood professionals who believe in the best practices and learning environments for our young minds. On March 8-10, 2015, I will have an amazing opportunity to travel with the Iowa AEYC team to Washington, D.C. for the Public Policy Forum to learn more about policy decisions and speak to state and federal legislators about the future of early childhood and trending issues.
References
NAEYC. (2015). Position Statements: Kindergarten- Unacceptable Trends. Retrieved from
http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements
The Inspired Child. (n.d.). What's the rush? Retrieved from http://www.theinspiredchild.org/
Nicolette, you raise an interesting and factual point. I wish I could go with you in March. It would be a grand opportunity to be the voice for other educators and children. As a former preschool teacher, it was challenging trying to meet standards, as well as do what is best for the children. I cannot begin to imagine how much difficult the standards have become. I commend all educators for all they are doing to help each child persevere. Nicolette, I am interested in knowing, what is truly best when it comes to meeting the needs of the children and still following the provisions outlined in education policy and procedure?
ReplyDeleteRegenia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding to my blog entry. In regards to your question of how we meet the needs of the children without sacrificing their childhood experiences, I believe the answer speaks for itself. It becomes difficult though when policy makers and administrators are telling you "this is the way it's going to be" and you all of the sudden feel as though you are losing your voice in the early childhood setting.
I have also noticed that setting priorities for young children becomes much more difficult in the public school setting and settings where early childhood professionals are not valued for their knowledge and expertise. I am noticing this becoming an issue in the school I currently work in because of the push of the IGDI's for preschool. I asked a literacy coach at our school why, if the state is not mandating it, are all of the preschool teachers going to have to do IGDI's beginning next year when we are already using Creative Curriculum and the GOLD assessment to measure children's skills. She told me that she believes that the state wants a standardized assessment for all preschool children in the area of language and literacy.
I still do not agree with some of things my school district is doing and planning to do. I am hoping that my voice will become stronger and my experiences and knowledge will start to become valued along with the voices of my early childhood colleagues in the district.
Nicolette