Advocacy, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Based on my own experience, as well as on current thinking on the subject, advocacy in early childhood education is no single function. It is an enormous range of responsibilities and opportunities unlike those of other teachers. In basic terms, advocacy here is still very much dependent on an active sense of support; the teacher must be mindful of the evolving needs and circumstances of the children, and then employ their influences to make needed recommendations and changes. Advocacy in this arena is no “safe” course, simply because the teaching professional must act as something of an intermediary between the needs of the children and the larger social and political context (MacNaughton 294). We are the “go-betweens,” and the ages of the children add great weight to this duty. Older students develop their own voices; younger children usually cannot express, or sometimes even know, what they require to move forward in learning and growth. Then, this same advocacy must apply to our peers. Only when early education teachers share a commitment of the kind mentioned may mutual support benefit all. Put another way, advocacy is a complex and still very human structure, in which the needs of the children, the influences and potentials of the surrounding environment, and the competencies of the teachers combine to inspire a living process of betterment for the children. In the following, the mechanics of this process will be discussed, as I draw on both personal experience and the guidance of experts in the field.

Discussion

The processes of advocacy in early childhood teaching share more than one attribute; more exactly, they must be based on a foundation of professionalism in the teacher. This is no “dry” quality, but a concerned and accomplished state of being and behavior absolutely essential for the integrity of attending to children. Professionalism must exist as an expression of – and response to – the importance of the subject. It must also be manifested in every action the teacher makes because carelessness here is not only unacceptable, it is dangerous. For example, I have maintained a home daycare facility in Lowell, Massachusetts, since 2009, and my success would not be possible if I did not adhere to high standards of professional conduct. In the daycare or the school, the parent is essentially entrusting the welfare of the child to the caregiver or teacher, as the child is inherently vulnerable. Professionalism is not the first competency usually identified for no reason, as it is also the one most regulated – and correctly so – by governmental licensing policies. These regulations vary from state to state, and even by district or community, but they are uniformly in place to ensure that the basic levels of commitment to the children’s welfare is assured. My own daycare, not unexpectedly, fully meets the state and county requirements, even as I maintain my own practices of professionalism beyond those mandated.

These practices and standards reflect the other competencies necessary in the field, as professionalism exists as a kind of larger arena containing them. It is imperative, for example, that I possess subject matter knowledge in order to be confident in my teaching and care. It may seem that this is not particularly urgent, given the elementary nature of what is taught to young children. The reality is that nothing could be more important, and this goes to both the teacher’s ethical responsibility and the competency of communication. As is generally known, children are extraordinarily impressionable; they are not only geared to accept as truth what is presented to them, they tend as well to react in emotional, rather than cognitive, ways initially (Davis-Johnson 31). It is then all the more imperative that the teacher convey only what is genuinely known, and through communicative methods that address the abilities and state of the child. From my own experience, this is a process greatly enhanced by my level of commitment, which goes to that ethical foundation mentioned. Here, as in virtually every aspect of early education, an underlying dedication to the welfare of the child empowers the teaching and the care. Not unexpectedly, this ethical platform demands that the communication employed suit each child and circumstance. In plain terms, the communication that fails to reach the child is no communication at all, as it is a skill that develops with each instance of teaching.

The competency of instructional practices is, like advocacy, wide-ranging. On one level, it reflects basic forms of teaching as effectively practiced, yet it touches upon other considerations the teacher is obligated to take into account. The early education teacher who adheres to a fixed set of instruction does no service to the children, nor to the wider advocacy of their peers. While an agenda of instruction is necessary as a guide, the evolving nature of children demands that flexibility be exercised. Not only do children take in learning at different paces, but their aptitudes are, again, being created in the process, so the teacher is professionally and ethically required to perceive and meet these developments as they occur. Then, there is the critical factor of the child’s environment as influencing how and what the child is taught. In no uncertain terms, the teacher dedicated to early childhood education fully accepts that the family and the community are vital influences in how a child develops (Machado, Botnarescue 53). We are teachers who can only do our work through learning, in a sense, as each child conveys to us their individual experiences. This is not to assert that no structure of instruction is desirable; rather, it emphasizes the main focus of understanding as promoting the child’s growth.

Today’s teacher faces a challenge largely unknown – or ignored – by teachers in the past, in that a specifically cultural competency is essential in the modern classroom (Gordon, Browne 93). More specifically, if I disregard the cultural background of the Latino child in my care, my instruction is self-defeating. It is not my place to investigate the household or acquire expertise in Latino traditions. At the same time, a commitment to advocacy demands that I appreciate the likelihood of differences, as this element of culture calls into play the more general benefit of bringing the family and community into the educational experience. The competency of problem-solving applies here, in addition to its more ordinary definition of addressing individual circumstances requiring attention or correction. Put another way, problem-solving may be a proactive competency, in that the teacher who makes use of all assets, such as family interest, minimizes potential problems down the road. It cannot be overstated, that advocacy and teaching competencies are highly interactive affairs, as all must rely on a focus on the development and well-being of the child.

With regard to the competency of evaluation, a format must be combined with a more expansive perception. On a basic level, the teacher should operate from a single vantage point here, and determine if the children achieved the desired outcomes (Killen 123). At the same time, this determination should also take into account the variables known as affecting the child’s achievement. More exactly, evaluation must not be a fixed process, but a mode of learning itself, in that results correctly interpreted generate better teaching and allow for different views of accomplishment. If one of my children, for example, fails to have acquired the basic drawing techniques taught, I serve more as an advocate for that child when the results compel me to consider their situation more fully. I take the matter further and inquire: did the child seem to enjoy the instruction? Were there impediments I sensed, but did not pursue? However the teacher views the child, there is no escaping the reality that children, by virtue of how they develop exponentially, grow through processes based on factors sometimes not evident. Their perceptions, ideas, and motivations are occurring as they are discovered (Gelman 13). Consequently, when the teacher evaluates, a sense of these “hidden” activities should be in place, if only to facilitate progress made when a greater understanding is present.

Lastly, equity must be approached in ways just as expansive as any other competency, if the classroom is to be healthy and productive. Here, there is also a basic premise to follow, in that the competency requires that the same degree of respect be accorded to all adults within the educational experience (Gordon, Browne 95). I myself have seen how crucial it is that an assistant be respected, because that regard translates to how the children are treated. I have noted as well, however, that equity in this manner, which vastly reflects advocacy pursuits, applies “equally” to the children. Certainly, as they do not have the responsibilities and freedoms of adults, they may not be treated in the same manner. On a deeper level, however, children respond to respect viscerally. On one hand, they are keenly and immediately aware when other children are approached differently by an adult; on another, it is interesting to see in the very young what may be called a reflex of self-esteem. They do not expect to be treated as adults are, but they are also disinclined to accept condescension. Then, even very young children seem to have an awareness of the “democracy” of a class, as I have seen children react when another is approached in a way clearly reflecting inequality. Interestingly, it appears that children maintain a commitment to advocacy themselves, as we are then all the more obligated to demonstrate the same.

Conclusion

As I have mentioned, I operate a daycare. I also care for my four year-old son and newborn boy, and I am pleased to affirm that these responsibilities exist for me as cooperative – and joyful – ones. I know I am a teacher, in a sense, because I am learning all the time. Caring for children resonates within me on a level so profound, I cannot identify it; I can only know it is in my being. This then inspires me to pursue teaching in early childhood, which is itself an advocacy. My passion notwithstanding, it is important to comprehend that competencies in teaching are learned skills (Killen 300); more exactly, while the teacher must to some degree possess innate ability and a strong drive to meet the demands of the calling, each competency may be acquired and developed. This, I have experienced, as I anticipate its being a lifelong process. Equally importantly, in this learning emerges another. Advocacy is, in a word, everything. It is how we teach and care for the children, advocating and promoting their growth, as it is how we support one another and embrace family and community interaction. In knowing this, I am enabled to work toward my goal of maintaining a major daycare center and serving, through being an advocate for children, as an advocate for all.

Works Cited

Davis-Johnson, S. Seven Essentials for Character Discipline: Elementary Classroom Management. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 2000. Print.

Gelman, S. The Essential Child:Origins of Essentialism in Everyday Thought. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Gordon, A., & Browne, K. W. Beginning Essentials in Early Childhood Education. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.

Killen, R. Effective Teaching Strategies: Lessons from Research and Practice. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2006. Print.

Machado, J. M., & Botnarescue, H. M. Student Teaching: Early Childhood Practicum Guide, 7^th Ed. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

MacNaughton, G. Shaping Early Childhood: Learners, Curriculum and Contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2003. Print.