In our last article we discussed the importance of reflection.  We said that the ultimate purpose for being a reflective practitioner is to become an intentional practitioner; in other words, teachers or caregivers who regularly think about what they do can be purposeful in the choices they make with children, families, coworkers and supervisors.

Intentionality

Early childhood education (ECE) professionals have often been viewed by society as glorified babysitters.  A babysitter’s job is important, to be sure – keeping children happy and safe until their parents return.  But, as we know, the early childhood professional’s job is far more complex than that, requiring unique skill sets, knowledge and experience in order to be effective.  To help the rest of the world understand this fact and accord us with a “worthy wage” higher than that of a babysitter, we must educate them as to the intentionality of our work – the reasons or rationales for the choices we make that are based on a combination of research, theory, data, evidence and a keen understanding of the unique children we serve.

Starting this month, CounciLINK's regular "Teacher Tip" article transforms into a new monthly feature: "Take a Moment to Reflect". Each month we will continue to feature tips and strategies that support teacher and caregiver practice but we will also add the opportunity for you to reflect on the topic and share your reflections with the rest of the CDA community. We kick off this new series with an article exploring the value of reflection, itself...

Reflection

Being an early childhood professional in today's world is an incredibly complex endeavor. In addition to all of the expected, traditional tasks associated with our work, we now find ourselves responsible for many new professional requirements or challenges like naturalistic observations, data collection, individualized education plans, cultural competence, standards alignments, evidence-based curricula, dual language learners and so much more. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we become reflective practitioners who are acutely aware of the impacts that our teaching practices have on the children and families we serve. By reflecting, we can become more strategic in intentionally accomplishing all that is asked of us every day.