Growing as a Teacher and Professional

Growing as a teacher and professional

I have been in positions where I’ve worked with unprofessional and inexperienced teachers. This has made me second guess how I feel about Early Childhood. I wondered if maybe I expected too much from the children and staff that I worked with. I struggled with my commitment to educating children and how often I used my own money and time, just so the students would have a good preschool experience.

It never felt appreciated by teachers, or management, it seemed as though it was expected, even though most of them weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing.

I wondered if I push others too hard to become better teachers. I insisted that they follow State Rules and Regulations even when I knew that sometimes it was impossible based on the structure of the school.

I had goals that no one seemed to understand, and I believed whole-heartily that educating young children was of utmost importance. But when I talked to others, they shook their heads in agreeance, but their actions said something different.

I concerned myself with what others thought of me as a teacher and hoped that they agreed with my philosophy and wondered if they thought my teaching style was too much or too little.

Then I just stopped, stopped wondering, stop guessing, and worked toward being the best educator I could be. I no longer worried about my teaching philosophy or what others thought of it. If my students were happily learning that was all I needed.

I am still ensuring that all State Rules and Regulations are being followed even when teachers fill it’s impossible to do so. I feel like that is part of being a good teacher. I will never change how I feel based on my situation or that of the center I am working in. As long as I understand who I am as a professional and educator, that’s all that matters.

I hope this post helps other teachers that feel like their beliefs and commitment to Early Childhood are not appreciated or understood.