My Education in Early Childhood Education

          When I first moved home after teachers college my first concern was finding a job. It didn’t even have to be a teaching job, just something that would allow me to make the payments on my close-to-the-limit credit cards and my cell phone bill. Prospects for a part-time job were looking even worse than those for school board employment. In theory, work experience and education are supposed to be assets when applying for a job. In reality, it seems that retail jobs go to the candidate with the lowest expectations for pay, rather than those with experience. If you’re minimally proficient in English, and willing to work for minimum wage you’re more likely to get a job than someone who has more than a decade of part-time retail experience and small collection of post-secondary degrees.

            My savings were dwindling and it was getting perilously close to my payment due dates. That was when a got a message from a long-time friend saying that the daycare at which she worked needed someone to help a few days a week. I thought that it might be fun, so I said I would come in. The summer went pretty well, and it was fun working with three friends that I have known for years. By September I was offered a full-time position at the daycare, which I accepted, but by the end of September I wanted out. It was nice getting a steady paycheck, but I knew that I’m not cut out to work with little children. By November, I had resigned.

I have a deep admiration for Early Childhood Educators. They have a genuine love for each child that they work with, and ECEs play such an important role in the lives of the children they teach and care for. Every activity is an opportunity for discovery, and every day presents a unique set of challenges. Daycares are dynamic environments with children at different stages of development. Some of them are just learning to talk, while others are developing complex social relationships. They are constantly learning what they can do, what they should do, and how to relate to the world around them. The children learn so much and change so quickly, and ECEs are there every step of the way, providing loving guidance, wisdom, and discipline. It was a privilege to work with some amazing women, and with some truly amazing children.