At Growing Potential, we recognise the importance of reconciliation. As part of our commitment, we…
A day in the life of an Early Childhood Educator
Annemarie Straub of Children First recently featured on Australian Online Courses, sharing why she’s in love with her career as an Early Childhood Educator.
EVERY DAY’S DIFFERENT
There is no ‘typical’ day for an inspiring Early Childhood Educator! Each day is unlike the previous and with many children coming and going on different days of the week, Early Childhood Educators certainly have their work cut out for them. But for children, play is their work.
IMAGINATION IS KING
If we watch young children at play we are reminded that they live in a far more charming and wondrous world than the rest of us; and Early Childhood Educators take on many of these roles every single day! A world-famous magician, a nurse, a horse, a gardener, a mermaid or a magical unicorn. And if a child suggests that we be the captain of a pirate ship, we will be the best pirate captain there ever was!
PLAYING THE NAME GAME
We spend half our day counting children and we have the ability to remember the names of one hundred children, their parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, pets, and invisible friends. Sitting on a teeny tiny chair is normal and we will happily sit and chat it up with a beloved teddy … while serving tea and scones … made out of play dough!
A BUCKET LOAD OF ENERGY & LOVE
As you can imagine, it can take a great deal of energy and love to succeed as an Early Childhood Educator. We play an important role in ensuring children become successful learners and confident and creative individuals. We believe in children’s capacities to succeed and we value children’s different capacities and abilities. Early Childhood Educators spend their days planning and preparing, implementing and creating and valuing and treasuring! We respond to children’s evolving ideas and interests and we are constantly making use of spontaneous ‘teachable moments’.
COOKIE DOUGH FOR DINNER, ANYONE?
There are also times where you are just so tired you go home and eat cookie dough for dinner! But when you are an Early Childhood Educator, you will be dedicated to helping young children grow into responsible, competent learners. You will be dedicated to edible gardens, mud, water, digging patches and other elements from nature and you will be dedicated to a child’s sense of ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’.
HEARTWARMING BENEFITS
There are many heartwarming benefits of being an Early Childhood Educator. There is never a shortage of happy, chattering children to share stories and games with and there is nothing quite like the feeling when a little hand slips into yours, without a word. It’s a great feeling knowing you are a participant in the building of tomorrow. Knowing you have inspired young minds and exposed these little people to the joys of learning. These little people who will inherit the world and shape the future.
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