The Making Of A Good Teacher and Caregiver

  

My interest in children and teaching began years ago when I was a small girl; there was an old, empty small, wood-framed house behind our home. I decided to turn it into a schoolhouse. Yes, you guessed it, my first students were my three younger brothers and older sister. For years I taught school in that little old house out in the country. That is where my desire for teaching began, and has since been my dream and heartbeat. Teaching children can be very satisfying. Think of children as sponges. They are ready to soak up any and all experiences you can provide them. It's up to us as teachers and caregivers to make sure that the children under our care are being taught developmentally appropriate practices. As caregivers we need to cultivate developmentally appropriate learning environments and experiences for young children. If the room arrangement is designed appropriately, it will give you more time with the children and make your job more enjoyable. Young children attach themselves to those who provide interaction, comfort and reassurance through quality interactions. It is believed that young children come equipped with the ability to form strong relationships. They attach to those who respond to their needs in the most sensitive manner. Experiments suggest that even though a person may feed a young child, it doesn't necessarily mean that the child will become attached to them. One way to make parents feel secure when leaving their young child is to make sure their child is at ease in the environment we create for them. As teachers and caregivers we should be:

*Observers-be aware of social interactions of the child with other children, staff, and parents *Programmers-develop plans that facilitate the positive development of children. *Teachers-facilitate social skills and mental knowledge *Discipliners-guide/builder of responsibility and internal focus of control *Nurturers-foster a child's sense of self, encourage, assist and support social-emotional well-being. I have enjoyed the past twenty-four years that I have worked with children in different centers. I am excited about opening my first center and I look forward to the years to come working with young children; what an exciting and rewarding experience. By  Elaine Williams