Why Do I Have to Oppose Early Childhood Educators?

Once again, my union has put me in a spot where I have to defend something I don't believe in. The following letter, found in thestar.com, sums up the issue:

As a long time elementary teacher, I was ashamed to read that the ETFO voted against sharing their classrooms with early childhood educators.

It appears to be a vote of (mostly) women against women. We have waited decades for universal childcare in Ontario and now teachers are standing in the way of progress. Our ECE grads are also professionals and they are trained to work with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Most have not been recognized for their dedication to the important work they do and most are underpaid.

We, as teachers, should be the first to acknowledge their worth and expertise in the future of childcare.

Anne Mare McMullen, Stratford

The first thing our new ETFO provincial leader, Sam Hammond put on his agenda was staking out the territory of the newly enlarged, full-day kindergarten program, claiming it for elementary teachers. The ETFO took a survey of 800 Ontarians to back them up in saying, "People want a certified teacher providing instruction within a full-day kindergarten program." But I'll bet the questions were limited in scope and context.

The only reason I could oppose ECE people in the classroom is because there was evidence that they were somehow incompetent or underqualified.

Why not propose a partnership of Early Childhood Educators and certified teachers? E.C.E.'s have training, they have great skills, they create programmes, they have a heart for kids, they know how to work with parents, they are sensitive to health and safety issues. Surely a partnership is better than an us-or-them approach, don't you think?

Closing Up for Another Year

Just a handful of days left before saying goodbye for the summer. Report cards are pretty well finished, except for some touch-ups. This week I'll be having my students make a special craft that can be assembled into a big display for my room, something like a quilt. It should be a pretty low-key time as we clean up loose ends around the room.

At the end of my first year of teaching primary, I'm feeling like I can do this again. This summer I'll be taking some math training to improve my approach for next year's group. I'm looking forward to getting the room "emptied out" and having a fresh go at setting it up again.

What are the things that are the same from year to year? Let me try a list:

1. The feeling of being done; of having finished a race; the sense of closure with a certain group of children.
2. The cleaning up and storing away of materials.
3. The huge pile of throw-away papers- literally, bags full.
4. Empty walls and bulletin boards, full of possibility for another year.
5. The constant thought of: what will I do differently next year?
   

Spring Again

This is my favourite time of year. I keep telling everyone this again and again. I measure this time of year by the flowers in our garden. Two days ago the irises popped out in bloom. They are deep purple and have an amazing aroma. Our clematis is going full blast and is now as tall as me. It grows, I swear, 4 inches a day! Soon the evening primrose will be blooming, signaling the middle of June. My daughter's birthday arrives...

Our pond is getting very interesting. We finally, after 3 years of trying, figured out how to over-winter goldfish. And to top it off, we have got a filter installed so the fish can actually SEE WHERE THEY ARE GOING. We have bullfrog tadpoles that were put in there last summer and I'll bet they are about 3 inches long.

The only mystery is what happened to the turtle. We had him given to us last fall when someone brought him into school. He dove into the pond when we released him and we haven't seen him since. Maybe a raccoon got him or something.

Drawing to a Close - Again

This is the end of my first year teaching primary. It has gone by really quickly. All in all it has been a very enriching and rewarding experience, and it has done much to rejuvenate my heart for teaching. The open minds of my grade twos have been very refreshing, while at the same time I have learned tons about how limited their experience and knowledge of the world is.

As the last few weeks of this school year melt away, I'll be busy with various special activities. For instance, we are making a banner for our Country Music Day. There will be a year end classroom art project that the students contribute to, like a quilt or something. And, all the while, I'm looking at our present grade ones and trying to imagine what joys and surprises I'll have teaching them next year!