Leah Zabari
Do you think the experiences you had as a child and the important adults in your childhood have influenced you as an early childhood educator? Do you think the experiences and relationships from your childhood played (and still play!) a role in your professional goals and philosophy? I encourage you to share some of those experiences you had as a child- whether they were good or bad experiences.
When reflecting on another question that was presented to me when I was a teacher: “What values do you hope to reflect in your work with children and families?” I thought about the values I have in my own life- I value relationships. The back-and-forth exchanges of listening and being listened to. I value friendships where I can be an ear for someone, and they respect me enough and trust me enough to open up to me.
As a teacher, I valued those same types of relationships with children- I valued their time as a human being. I valued the time it took for me to build a relationship with the children in my classroom by getting on the floor to play with them, listening to what was on their minds, and encouraging them to share their ideas with me. As a former director, those values translated into building relationships with families while also maintaining relationships with the teachers that worked in the classrooms. Now as an assessor in this new role of coaching and training providers and teachers, I value their time and try my best to build relationships with all adult-learners I work with.
I remember when I was in first grade, I had a teacher that publicly embarrassed me in front of my classmates because I was “too slow” at doing basic math facts. That incident has stayed with me and affected me all throughout my days of school and into adulthood. However, that one negative interaction with my first-grade teacher also shaped who I became as a teacher. Going back to what I value in my work with children, I can say that that negative experience shaped the high value I now place on having positive interactions and relationships with children in my care. It changed the way I interacted with children and other adults, and it shaped the values I have today.
Positive influences you had in your childhood could also shape who you are. In second grade, I had a very different teacher. A teacher I loved and respected and one who told me I could do anything I put my mind to! Do you know what it was about that teacher that made the biggest impact on me? It was her ability to build a relationship with me- she took the time to listen to me, get to know me and my specific educational needs and most importantly she built my confidence in subject areas I was previously “too slow” with. Her impact on me had a lasting positive effect on me and she became one of my role models as I started on my teaching journey.
I encourage you to read through the questions below, reflect on them, and ask yourself, “Who do I want to be in the lives of children?” and “will my impact on children be a positive or negative one?”
- What experiences in your childhood influenced who you are today?
- Were the influences positive or have you had to work to overcome some of them?
- What motivated you to enter the field of early care and education?
- What are your strengths, and what is challenging for you?
