Helping Teachers See Results

12/09/2005

A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.
Chinese Proverb

One of the favorite Exchange articles I have written is “12 Reasons People Love to Work for You.” One reason I proposed had to do with helping teachers see that their work makes a difference…

Lilian Katz, in an article, "On Teaching," in the February 1990 issue of Exchange, " . . . noted that every semester there will be two or three of her students who reveal that a single teacher, by showing concern or encouragement, saved their psychological lives." Katz concludes: "Just think how many children that adds up to over a career of teaching . . . it could be more than 100 people. That's a lot of lives to make a real difference to."

As a director, the most effective way you can get teachers hooked on continuing in your center is to help them see the real impact they are having on the lives of children. You can do this by training teachers to be better observers so they can see the children progress, by encouraging teachers to give each other feedback on the changes they observe, and, foremost, by encouraging parents to share their joy over the progress their children are making.

Knowing that you were responsible for helping a shy child come out of his shell or an overly aggressive child calm down is a type of reward that very few professions can offer.

William Franklin, speaking at an Exchange conference in New Orleans, quoted the remarks made by Pericles to his troops, noting that he could just as well have been addressing early childhood professionals:

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

There are many great reasons for working in early childhood, not the least of which is the real difference we can make in the lives of the children and families we serve.

This complete article as well as the following four Exchange articles are available for your free review on the home page of our web site at www.ChildCareExchange.com:

“Would You Like to Get Along with Difficult People?”
"The Diverse World of Early Childhood”
“Stocking the Toolbox: Ideas for Successful Facility Management”
“MathTalk with Young Children:One Parent’s Experience”

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.