You what? Don’t you just play all day? You studied three years to be a baby sitter? Teaching is easy. You don’t need a degree for that!
Huh. And those are just a few of the remarks and somewhat disrespectful questions I have been asked over my time as an early childhood teacher. It can be a lot easier at times to shrug it off or give a simple explanation rather than start a debate. But here I am taking a stand for all those teachers out there, who don’t always get shown the appreciation that they deserve.
Don’t you just play all day? Let’s take a look at some ‘playing’ that took place today. The children in our classroom (two year olds) have been enjoying lots of adventure play recently, like going on lion hunts and finding the ‘Wonky Donkey’. They were very excited to be going on a spontaneous trip across the road to an area of forestry. Here they marveled at the wonder of nature, looking up into the trees they noticed that some of the leaves were green and some were brown. They collected big sticks and little sticks. They ran up and down the hills. As a group they went looking for Wonky Donkey. They found a spider web tucked away in the hollow of a tree. They pointed out rubbish on the ground. They enjoyed standing in the rain. Then it came time to cross the road back to Kindy. Of course all of this was accompanied by in depth conversation and questioning between children and teachers. What learning occurred here you may be wondering? Through the spotting of the colour differences of the leaves, the children are learning simple concepts of life and death, that nature needs water to survive. They are learning mathematical concepts like long and short while collecting all those sticks. Gaining control over their bodies was also explored as the children ran up and down the hills that were muddy, slippery and covered in bark. What about that spider? How interesting it was for the kids to see how and where a spider builds his home. Crossing the road, we learn to be safe. Holding hands and staying with our teachers means that we can get back to school safely. Pointing out the rubbish on the ground, shows the children have an awareness that it didn’t belong there and are developing respect for the environment.
Taking all of that into consideration, yes you could say that we play all day. You see, I could sit here for hours writing about all the wonders of learning that occur through play. It would be never ending! When we play, we are involved in the freest expression of exploration. Isn’t that what we all long for? To be so free in who we are, that the world becomes our playground. That whenever something captures our interest, we become child-like beings who can’t help but be curious and see what it’s all about, we want to give it a go and be captivated by it’s magic.
Learning experiences are all around us, for all of us. You have to be reciprocal, open and willing to learn. I learned a lot at university about being a teacher but nothing will compare to how much I learn everyday from the children that I work with, my little team. Children are the most inquisitive, open, curious, positive, confident and free little beings that you will ever come across. Who says the adult has to be the teacher, we are shaped by our experiences which often block us from being who we really are. But children are young, fresh and vulnerable. They don’t have fear of the adult world, nothing is holding them back from getting what they want and being who they are. Perhaps, they should be the one’s teaching us the valuable things that they have to offer instead.
So yes, being a teacher is a lot more than meets the eye. It is one of the most rewarding, challenging, frustrating, fun and crazy careers that anyone could embark on. It is a partnership between children, families and teachers that aims to create valuable learning experiences out of ANYTHING. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I know that all teachers out there are making a difference – big or small, it all counts!
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn” – Phil Collins.
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