Personal Educational Philosophy: Part 2

Ellie Wagner

Millersville University
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1c: Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging

learning environments for young children

The National Association on the Education of Young Children, (NAEYC), which exits to

promote high-quality early education for young learners states “Our paramount responsibility is

to provide care and education in settings that are safe, healthy, nurturing and responsive for each

child” [CITATION NAE11 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. Just as we hold our students to high standards for

achievement, educators are responsible to meet these requirements in creating healthy,

respectful, supportive and challenging learning environments for our students.

One way I believe we can create these environments for students is through having a rich

understanding of child development. Understanding child development as an early educator is a

crucial element to creating appropriate, yet challenging, learning environments for our students.

“Teachers who are knowledgeable about child development and learning are able to make broad

predictions about what children of a particular age group typically will be like, what they

typically will and will not be capable of, and what strategies and approaches will most likely

promote their optimal learning and development” [CITATION Cop09 \p 9 \l 1033 ]. By

understanding our students’ developmental needs, we can create healthy environments in which

we can support them to succeed, but also respectfully challenge them by stretching them a little

further outside of their content-knowledge area to encourage progress and growth.

Appropriate learning environments for children are also required to be varietal and

engaging. In NAEYC’s position statement, position number 10 states “Always mentally active in

seeking to understand the world around them, children learn in a variety of ways; a wide range of

teaching strategies and interactions are effective in supporting all these kinds of learning”

[CITATION Cop09 \p 14 \l 1033 ]. As educators, we need to be proactive about creating a variety

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of learning opportunities for students. By understanding development, we understand that

children are developing in different ways at different rates, and that each child is unique in the

way they process and retain knowledge. We do not shy away from this but welcome the variety

into the classroom. Without offering a variety of learning opportunities, teaching strategies, and

interactions in the classroom, our classrooms cannot truly be healthy, respectful, supportive or

challenging for all our students.

Another area of overlap between the standards NAEYC sets for educators and my own

educational philosophy in the area of healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning

environments is in our considerations of relationships with families. “Developmentally

appropriate practices derive from deep knowledge of child development principles and of the

program’s children in particular, as well as the context within each of them is living”[CITATION

Cop09 \p 22 \l 1033 ]. It is often referred to that the familial context is the first ‘teacher’ a child

will ever have. Without an intentional, reciprocal partnership with our student’s families we

cannot create the appropriate and healthy learning environments they need to survive. In fact,

NAEYC states that without these rich partnerships “practice is not developmentally appropriate”

[CITATION Cop09 \p 23 \l 1033 ].

A large area where I see my personal educational philosophy and NAEYC’s thinking

overlap is regarding children’s abstract thinking about themselves. “We are also committed to

promoting children’s self-awareness, competence, self-worth, resiliency, and physical well-

being” [CITATION NAE11 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. The early education classroom is a crucial time to work

to empower children in a way that will set forth success in the future for our students. “A

pervasive characteristic of development is that children’s functioning becomes increasingly

complex—in language, social interaction, physical movement, problem solving, and virtually
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every other domain” [CITATION Cop09 \p 12 \l 1033 ]. Understanding the complexities of

development is a requirement to understanding development as a whole. We need to create

experiences in the early education setting which support and challenge students to develop this

area of their development; this a crucial aspect to healthy learning environments.

The largest domain between my own educational philosophy and NAEYC’s standards is

in cultural competence. “Understanding children’s development requires viewing each child

within the sociocultural context of that child’s family, educational setting, and community, as

well as within the broader society” [CITATION Cop09 \p 13 \l 1033 ]. Healthy and respectful

learning environments are impossible to create for some students if the educator does not do

everything in their power to be aware and cognizant of systemic and institutional forms of

oppression which may affect our students. Multiple elements of our students’ identities are

interrelated including national origin, gender, sex, race, ethnicity, etc. Understanding these

connections is crucial to student success. “For example, even a child in a loving, supportive

family within a healthy community is effected by the biases of the larger society, such as racism

or sexism, and may show some effects of its negative stereotyping and discrimination”

[CITATION Cop09 \p 13 \l 1033 ]. In order the create appropriate learning environments where

students are supported, we need to have an awareness before even entering the classroom of the

multiple forms of discrimination and oppression and how they may affect our students.

2c: Demonstrating cultural competence and effective collaboration to involve families and

communities in their children’s development and learning

In NAEYC’s Principles of child development and learning that inform practice, it states

“Early childhood teachers need to understand the influence of sociocultural contexts and family

circumstances in learning, recognize children’s developing competencies, and be familiar with

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the variety of ways that children may demonstrate their developmental achievements” [CITATION

Cop09 \p 13 \l 1033 ]. I personally feel like this is an area of strength for me, especially coming

from a social work background. To me, understanding the multiple environments and cultures

our students are coming from, as well as understanding the systemic and institutionalized

oppressions which may affect them, is crucial to understanding and supporting their learning.

Understanding that there is a need for collaboration between parents and the classroom requires

cultural competence. “It is time for educators to think creatively and expand beyond the trip

chaperone model, who always end up being the same three or four family members, the middle

class family members who are able to afford to take the day off of work or do not have to work

in the first place” [CITATION Wag20 \p 10 \l 1033 ]. Allowing for opportunities where culture

can be celebrated and brought into the light is, in my opinion, a crucial element to be a culturally

competent teacher. Cultural blindness, which has long been thought to be an effective way of

mitigating racial and cultural differences, is insensitive, uniformed, and incompetent. Being

“blind” or believing that culture makes no difference in the lives of the people, that people are

equal, is detrimental to our students’ success. Not only should we be culturally competent, that is

recognizing differences and the effects of differences, but we should strive to be culturally

proficient, going beyond recognizing differences, but celebrating them and working to advocate

for culturally competent practices. There are many ways we can prove our cultural competence

in the early education setting.

NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice outlines the many ways a good teacher

establishes “reciprocal relationships with families”. For example, educators make “family

members feel welcome in the classroom and inviting their participation in the program”

[CITATION Cop09 \p 45 \l 1033 ]. I recently read a story about a teacher who had a student in
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their class whose native language was not English. The teacher invited the parent into the class to

read a book to the class in their native language. Allowing students and families to bring their

culture into the classroom not only empowers our students and families, but creates a space for

culturally based discussion, perspective gaining from students in other cultures, and fosters

effective collaboration between the classroom and the family.

NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct Ideal I-1.10 states one of our ideal as educators

should be “to ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are

recognized and valued in the program” [CITATION NAE11 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. While this can seem like

a daunting task, I believe there are simple ways to incorporate the variety of different cultures

our students come from. For example, today there exists many children’s books with a variety of

characters, family structures, and settings. Some of my favorite books that celebrate diversity are

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, which celebrates two male

penguins who adopt a baby penguin as their own, Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue

Kostecki-Shaw, which tells the story of an American boy and an Indian boy who are best friends

and lead similar, but different, lives, and Her Body Can by Katie Crenshaw and Ady Meschke,

which features a plus-sized young girl and her body positivity. Having books in our classroom

which reflect out students’ lives and identities is a great way to make sure their diversities are

‘recognized and valued in the program’.

Another NAEYC ideal, I-2.5 states educators should be able “to respect the dignity and

preferences of each family and to make an effort to learn about its structure, culture, language,

customs, and beliefs to ensure a culturally consistent environment for all children and families”

[CITATION NAE11 \p 4 \l 1033 ]. My own philosophy remains consistent with this thinking. It is

our job to make consistent and intentional efforts to understand the cultural contexts and
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environments are students enter the classroom from. Cultural competence does not ask teachers

to be all-knowing, but rather open to learning, but challenges us to make these efforts with our

students and their families. For example, a monthly or bi-monthly family night can be an easy

way to engage families and for educators to experience a bit of their students’ culture. Families

could be invited to dialogue, prepare traditional dishes, etc.

Another scenario in which, I believe, educators have a duty to prove their understanding

of culture and successful collaboration is in classroom involvement. “Early childhood teachers

need to understand the influence of sociocultural contexts and family circumstances on learning”

[CITATION NAE091 \p 13 \l 1033 ]. As educators, we need to understand that the families and

communities are students are in vary greatly. We cannot make general assumptions about

family’s abilities to provide resources for their children or even assumptions about what

resources exist within their immediate community. Beyond this, we must also understand that

sociocultural or socioeconomic contexts affect the ability for families to collaborate with their

child’s school setting. For example, a middle-class family may be able to engage in the

classroom environment more frequently due to having the ability to take off work, in comparison

to a low-income family, who has less time due to working multiple jobs or working long hours.

We can address this by creating opportunities for family engagement outside of the classroom or

beyond the classroom. “If parents are unable to volunteer or be involved during school hours,

opportunities could be made for other types of involvement such as organizing events,

facilitating pick-ups for class materials or creating digital materials necessary for the classroom

or school” [CITATION Wag20 \p 10 \l 1033 ].

A final situation where understanding cultural and promoting collaboration with families

is through resource sharing. Because our students come from varying community settings,
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awareness about available opportunities may be limited. Additionally, a culturally competent

teacher may know that there is some cultural stigma around asking for resources. Some families

may be uneducated on differing child needs. “Excellent teachers work hard to develop reciprocal

relationships with families, with communication and respect in both directions” [CITATION

Cop09 \p 45 \l 1033 ]. As educators, we have an opportunity and responsibility to communicate

with our families regularly about their child’s well-being and possible resources for them.

Through newsletters or regular conferencing, this communication can occur. Understanding

culture also requires a teacher to be receiving of communication from the family, that is open to

the family’s suggestions, thoughts and perspectives about their child’s development, learning,

and needs.

3c: Understanding and practicing responsible assessment to promote positive outcomes for

each child, including use of assistive technology for children with disabilities

NAEYC states “Assessment of children’s development and learning is essential for

teachers and programs in order to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the

classroom experiences they provide”[CITATION Cop09 \p 21-22 \l 1033 ]. Assessment is the core

of the classroom learning environment, in my opinion. Without regular assessment, even formal,

passive forms of assessment, educators are left clueless and uninformed about the effectiveness

of their lessons and if students are meeting the lesson objectives. Assessment needs to be

intention, inclusive, and responsible.

I believe one way we as educators can practice responsible assessment is through a

thorough understanding of our students’ developmental contexts. Educators need to anticipate

and respond “to the age/developmental characteristics of children that are likely to influence the

validity of assessment methods” [CITATION Cop09 \p 44 \l 1033 ]. We need to be age and

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developmentally appropriate about the types and methods of assessment we are using to measure

student success. Much of this aspect of my personal educational philosophy is outlined in section

1c, but it is important to consider development as specific factor in assessment in classrooms

which are healthy, supportive and challenging for students.

Responsible assessment also needs to be appropriate with the individual needs of our

students as well. Assessment decision need to include “making choices and adaptions of

assessment methods to get the best information about a particular child” [CITATION Cop09 \p

44 \l 1033 ]. Since much of my own personal educational philosophy is catered to the varying

needs and differences in students, this specific NAEYC thought process is important to me.

Students learn and express knowledge in a variety of ways. Educators, as outlined above by

NAEYC, are responsible to know the individual needs of our students to be able to responsibly

provide them assessments which can accurately measure their knowledge. Some children are

able to express knowledge verbally, while some do better with written or artistic expressions.

Creating diverse forms of assessment and adapting assessment as needed is crucial to the

assessment process in early education classrooms.

“In addition to… assessment by teachers, input from families as well as the children’s

own evaluations of their work are part of the program’s overall assessment strategy” [CITATION

Cop09 \p 22 \l 1033 ]. Responsible assessment always requires educators to work to establish a

collaborative team around the child. Input from the educator, the family, and the student

themselves is also crucial to assessing a child. Because each member of this collaborative team is

able to provide a different perspective, a better overall assessment of the child can be completed.

For example, if a teacher believes a student is not expressing understanding of a content area, but

the family is able to input that the child is demonstrating knowledge of that area in the home, a
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teacher may be able to more appropriately assess a student. Without collaborating, this

perspective may be missed.

Another area which is crucial in both my own educational philosophy and in NAEYC’s

perspective is the use of assistive technology in assessment. “Teachers incorporate a wide variety

of experiences, materials and equipment, and teaching strategies to accommodate the range of

children’s individual differences in development, skills and abilities, prior experiences, needs

and interests” [CITATION NAE091 \p 20 \l 1033 ]. In 2020, we are gifted with a wide range of

technologies and tools that can assist the wide range of students we have in our classrooms.

From something as ‘low tech’ as a pencil gripper or fidget toy, to something as ‘high tech’ as

communication technology or computers, we are able to find so many different types of assistive

technology to assist with assessment. It is unfair that a student may be falsely assessed because

we fail as educators to assist them with the technology they need to thrive and communicate.

An area which is very important to me in regard to assessment is the broader range of

student assessment to responsibly evaluate programs. “Assessment also is a tool for monitoring

children’s progress towards a program’s desired goals. In developmentally, appropriate practice,

the experiences and the assessments linked… and both are aligned with the programs desired

outcomes or goals for children” [CITATION Cop09 \p 22 \l 1033 ]. Assessment is crucial to

understanding and evaluation program success rates and, in this way, they hold an extreme

amount of power. Quantifiable data from assessment is directly related to budgeting and policy

considerations in the education environment. Educators need to be proactive about gathering

assessment data, making sure their students are meeting their program objectives and goals,

adjusting if necessary, and addressing program shortcomings based on their assessment data.
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“Teachers and administrators in early childhood education play a critical role in shaping the

future of our citizenry and our democracy” [CITATION Cop09 \p 23 \l 1033 ].

3d: Demonstrating ability to collaborate effectively to build assessment partnerships with

families and with professional colleagues to build effective learning environments

In section 3c, I described how my own education philosophy and NAEYC’s standards for

early educators align to promote the importance of a collaborate team around a student to be able

to have the broadest, most accurate perspective during the process of assessment. A collaborative

team approach is a necessary and crucial aspect to assessing, as well as allowing for students to

have the most appropriate and comprehensive opportunities to express their knowledge and skill

building. NAECY ideal I-4.5 states that teachers should “work to ensure that appropriate

assessment systems, which include multiple sources of information, are used for purposes that

benefit children” [CITATION NAE11 \p 6 \l 1033 ]. NAEYC also states that “we hall collaborate

with the child’s family and appropriate specialists to determine the additional services needed…

to ensure the child’s success” [CITATION NAE11 \p 3 \l 1033 ]. NAEYC’s Code of Ethical

Conduct outlines the many ways educators have ethical responsibilities to their colleagues,

further emphasizing the value of partnerships in effective learning environments.

One situation where we can practice assessment collaboration with families is by

regularly meeting with the family and allowing an opportunity for families to voice their own

perspective on their child’s learning. For example, I recently read an example where a teacher

was concerned their student was not grasping colors. When the educator opened up the

discussion with the family, they were able to learn that, in the home, the child was naming colors

of items correctly. Including families in the assessment process is crucial to NAEYC and to my

own educational philosophy. “Practitioners involve families as a source of information about the
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child and engage them in the planning for their learning.” A second hypothetical situation exists

where we can see the value of collaboration with families, in that a student who is able to

memorize and pass varying assessments in the classroom, may not be grasping the content.

Allowing for communication—via phone, conferencing, etc.—allows for a space where families

can express their concerns for the child’s development and learning and begin the process for

identifying appropriate supports, a practice that may go otherwise unnoticed without family

involvement. “Families should be involved as important sources of information” [CITATION

Cop09 \p 22 \l 1033 ].

Educators need to be intentional about collaboration with colleagues. In social work, the

value of colleagues is incredibly important, and we meet with co-workers and other agency

social workers to discuss our cases. This allows for an opportunity for perspective gaining,

strategy brainstorming, and support that is crucial to the success of our clients. The same

philosophy applies for education. NAEYC sates that educators have a responsibility to our

colleagues to “share resources with co-workers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible

early childhood care and education program is provided” [CITATION NAE11 \p 5 \l 1033 ]. Just

like in social work, strategic collaborating is highly beneficial to our students. For example, a

situation could exist where a student is struggling to grasp content and assessments are proving

them to be falling behind. With appropriate collaboration, another teacher who has had a similar

experience may be able to suggest strategies or resource to assist the student.

Another example of the importance of collaboration can be seen when we think about

assessment. “When a screening or other assessment identifies children who may have special

learning or developmental needs, there is appropriate follow-up, evaluation, and, if indicated,

referral” [CITATION Cop09 \p 22 \l 1033 ]. Collaborating with colleagues is important if we are

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to be able to appropriately assess students with needs and make the connections to appropriate

supports. For example, other school staff and personnel may be necessary in the assessment

process such as speech language pathologists, interpreters, etc. We should also take the situation

further and understand that we need to be able to collaborate to gather assessment data but also

make referrals and involve the correct professionals to support a student in the way that will most

help them to succeed in the classroom.

4a: Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of

their work with young children

James Comer (1995) states “No significant learning can occur without relationship.”

Relationship and relationship building are at the root of both my own education philosophy and

NAEYC standards. Relationship building is a simple concept but challenging. It is important we

build positive relationships with the students and learners in our classrooms to facilitate their

learning effectively. To me, this is part of a healthy learning environment. “The excellent teacher

makes it a priority to develop a warm, positive relationship with each child. This relationship is

vital to young children’s learning and development in all area, and makes effective, positive

guidance possible” [CITATION Cop09 \p 35 \l 1033 ]. While I haven’t had the opportunity to

work in a classroom setting, my experiences with relationship building with the children I work

with as a social worker can be directly applied to the classroom setting.

One way I have worked to build positive relationship with the children on my caseload is

through compromising. I currently have a 16-year old boy on my caseload. He was referred to

me to help process his emotions regarding being in foster care, being separated from most of his

siblings and family, and his past abuse and trauma. I have had to intentionally compromise some

of how I would like our sessions to go to be able to allow him to build trust with me. For
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example, we did a music activity together where he worked to share songs with me that he felt

were representative of his life. Typically, we would not encourage a child to play explicit or

vulgar content in the professional setting. I compromised and allowed him to share music with

me with no restrictions. He was able to pick a song that, while explicit, was an illustration of a

man’s journey through abuse and neglect from his parents. Compromising in this way allowed

for an opportunity to discuss his own life and build trust. The same thought can be applied to the

classroom. Not every lesson, day, or unit is going to go as planned or as hoped. It is important

we be willing to compromise and be flexible to meet the needs of our students, and to build

positive relationships with them.

Educators should also be intentional about seeking to understand the diversities of our

students. NAEYC states that excellent teachers “make the effort to learn about each child’s

personality, abilities, interests and ways of learning” [CITATION Cop09 \p 35 \l 1033 ]. We can’t

expect ourselves as educators to have a thorough understanding of every child’s every interest or

every child’s culture. We can, however, be intentional and make the effort to learn about our

students. To be engaged in their lives. To show interest in their identities. This can be a great

way to build positive relationships. For example, I have been consistently working with a 13-

year old boy for about 10 months. This boy and I have very little in common including race,

gender, and communities. He is very passionate about Pokémon. During our sessions, I made a

lot of effort to understand Pokémon and his love for the game. He felt heard. Now, we have a

very trusting relationship and I am one of the first people he speaks with when he has an issue or

problem. He also values my opinion on his life and trusts my guidance. In the same way, seeking

to understand out students this way, and even incorporating their interests into the classroom

experience, is a way to build trusting relationships with students.

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“Children learn and develop best when they are part of a community of learners… To

create such a classroom community, good teachers make a point of getting to know every child

and family well” [CITATION Cop09 \p 35 \l 1033 ]. Beyond knowing our students, we should be

intentional about creating positive relationships with our students’ families. Many of the aspects

regarding building relationships with families are outlined in sections 2c and 3d of this paper.

When training foster families, we place a heavy emphasis on relationships between the birth

family and the foster family. When children see that these two important adult communities in

their life are at odds with one another, when they hear them speaking ill about one another, they

feel tension. They may struggle with engaging in their services or in their foster family. They

may have significant behaviors, or they may struggle with their feelings regarding loyalty. In the

same way, building positive relationships with our students’ families reflects to them that the

teacher is trustworthy and can be a steppingstone to building relationships with the students

themselves. Teachers should “bring each child’s home culture and language into the shared

culture of the class” [CITATION Cop09 \p 35 \l 1033 ]. We cannot do this without getting to know

our students’ families.

One area of gapping between my own personal educational philosophy and NAEYC’s

thinking is collaborating with children. Choice and control are very important aspects to

relationship building. Children are typically never seen as the powerholders in any situation. I

believe children need more a voice in the content they are learning and how they are learning it. I

struggled to find any NAEYC guidelines which aligned with my thinking in this area. While

NAEYC does state that “using multiple teaching strategies is important in meeting children’s

different learning needs” and that “children benefit when teachers have at their disposal a wide

range of teaching strategies”, I feel like these are more teacher based variation than student
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selected [CITATION NAE091 \p 14 \l 1033 ]. Allowing students to have choice and to hold some

saying power in the classroom, to me, is an effective way to build relationships with students

where they feel empowered and positive about the learning environments. For example, students

could have the option to choose their book for a literature unit, or make their own projects based

on an ecosystem of their choice. Students should have the opportunity to ask questions and make

decisions about what they want to learn. Educators do need to have a variety of options in the

classroom, and different approaches to learning, as NAEYC suggests, but should also create

opportunities for choice within their classrooms as well. Positive relationships are never formed,

either inside or outside of the classroom, when one party is the sole powerholder.

Another area I feel should be touched on more by NAEYC in regard to building positive

relationships with students is professional development and training. NAEYC stated educators

should “be familiar with the knowledge base related to working effectively with families and to

stay informed through continuing education and training” [CITATION NAE11 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. In

section 1c, I cited another section of NAEYC’s guidelines, stating “Understanding children’s

development requires viewing each child within the sociocultural context of that child’s family,

educational setting, and community, as well as within the broader society” [CITATION Cop09 \p

13 \l 1033 ]. While I agree with NAEYC’s thinking in this way, I feel like this point could be

expanded and built upon in the context positive relationships with students. Educators are

responsible for their own education and training and should be intentional about learning about

the broader systems and social contexts which may affect our students. Educators, in my opinion,

should make efforts to learn about systemic, structural, and institutional forms of oppression that

may affect our students. Understanding these, especially for educators who are members of an

agent group or of a privileged identity who work with students of a target group or oppressed
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identify, is essential for knowing our students and the challenges they face, practicing empathy,

and building positive relationships with our students.

4b: Knowing and understanding effective strategies and tools for early education, including

the uses of technology

NAEYC states “teachers possess an extensive repertoire of skills and strategies they are

able to draw on, and they know how and when to choose among them, to effectively promote

each child’s learning and development at that moment” [CITATION Cop09 \p 18 \l 1033 ]. We are

expected to have a wide knowledge base in terms of strategies and tools for early education.

While I haven’t had much opportunity so far in my education to build my teaching ‘toolbox’

there are some broad strategies that both myself and NAEYC find important to a child’s learning

environment.

Throughout this paper, I have placed heavy emphasis on making room in our classrooms

for all types of students with varying abilities. Differentiation, crafting instruction that is able to

meet students’ individual needs, one crucial early education strategy. NAEYC states teachers are

called “to support the right of each child to play and learn in an inclusive environment that meets

the needs of children with and without disabilities” [CITATION NAE11 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. Educators

need to be aware of their individual students’ needs and intentionally create differentiation in our

lesson plans. In section 3c, I shared some ‘high tech’ and ‘low tech’ ways to differentiate in the

classroom including pencil grippers, computers, and communication devices. Even something as

simple as interactive/textured products or fidget toys or movement in lesson plans is a way to

promote learning through the strategy of differentiation in the classroom.

Cross-curriculum teaching is another essential strategy for early childhood educators.

While NAEYC does place some emphasis on helping children “succeed across the curriculum”, I
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feel there is a gap between my own educational philosophy and NAEYC in the area of cross-

curriculum. In a previous course, I learned essential tools regarding the benefit of cross-

curriculum lesson planning. For example, a science lesson can easily build skills in verbal areas,

art, writing, and math. Educators have an opportunity to build children’s skills in multiple

domains by making sure we take full advantage of our lesson planning opportunities.

Another teaching strategy to promote learning in the early education classroom is through

modeling. Modeling attitudes or behaviors is a great way to teach lessons and instill positive

values and actions in our students. Modeling can be as broad as demonstrating how to build

positive relationships with others through listening, understanding, and compromising or as

specific as modeling and substituting vocabulary terms.

NAEYC states that “teachers make thoughtful use of computers and other technology in

the classroom, not to replace children’s experience with objects and materials but to expand on

the range of tools with which children an seek information, solve problems, perform

transformations, and learn at their own pace” [CITATION Cop09 \p 174 \l 1033 ]. In the 21st

century, we are lucky to have such a wide range of virtual tools to support our students’ learning

and lesson plans. We should also be doing our part as educators to build our students content

knowledge and proficiency in technology to prepare them for their lives in the future. Education

and technology are no longer isolated from one another; in fact, education and technology are

insuperable. “Software is selected to emphasize thinking and problem solving as well as to

provide practice opportunities in a motivating format” [CITATION Cop09 \p 315 \l 1033 ]. We can

integrate technology into our classroom as a strategy and tool to foster student success and rich

learning experiences.
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NAEYC states “teachers know how and when to scaffold children’s learning—that is,

providing just enough assistance to enable each child to perform at skill level just beyond what

the child can do on [their] own…” [CITATION Cop09 \p 19 \l 1033 ]. Scaffolding as an early

educator is a crucial strategy and tool that is important for early educators to promote success for

our students. Being comfortable with responding to different levels of support, and competent

enough to plan for them in advance helps all students to engage with the content in their

classrooms. “Scaffolding can take a variety of forms; for example, giving the child a hint, adding

a cue, modeling a skill, or adapting the materials and activities. It can be provided in a variety of

contexts, not only in planned learning experiences but also in play, daily routines, and outdoor

activities.” Scaffolding and support should be part of every educator’s teacher toolbox if we are

to truly create inclusive classrooms and promote success for all of our varying-ability learners.

4c: Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching/learning approaches

with a high level of cultural competence, understanding, and responsibility to diversity in

culture, language and ethnicity

Coming from a social work background, demonstrating a high level of cultural

competence, understanding, and responsibility to diversity in culture, language and ethnicity is

something that is not only important to me, but has embedded itself in my morals and values.

NAEYC states “the teacher also must consider each child, including looking at the child as an

individual and within the context of family, community, culture, linguistic norms, social group,

past experience (including learning and behavior), and current circumstances” [CITATION

NAE091 \p 10 \l 1033 ]. My own educational philosophy reflects my own thinking in this area.

“They are not empty vessels, blank canvases waiting to discover. They have been learning from

the very beginning. We must understand their families and communities before setting
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expectations for their learning. We would be doing a disservice to students without making an

effort to understand diverse family and community characteristics” [CITATION Wag20 \p 6-7 \l

1033 ].

One way educators can work to demonstrate an understanding of culture and diversity is

through education. “Early childhood teachers need to understand the influence of sociocultural

contexts and family circumstances on learning...” [CITATION NAE091 \p 13 \l 1033 ]. When an

educator like myself is part of an agent or oppressive group, such as being white or male, we

need to be intentional about our efforts to understand cultural variance in the lives of our

students. For example, I recently attended a training about the effect of poverty on the daily life

of a hypothetical three-person household. The training was a way for me, who grew up and

maintains a middle-class lifestyle, to seek understanding of the struggles and hardships that the

family faced. It was a great way to practically seek to understand culture in the terms of

socioeconomic status and could be applied directly to the classroom through an understanding of

lack of time, exhaustion, lack of resources, etc.

According to NAEYC, educators are called to fully explore “what is known about the

social and cultural contexts in which children live—referring to the values, expectations,

behavioral and linguistic conventions that shape children’s lives at home and in their

communities that practitioners must strive to understand in order to ensure that learning

experiences in the program or school are meaningful, relevant, and respectful for each child and

family” [CITATION NAE091 \p 10 \l 1033 ]. In my own professional experience, I have worked to

understand a child’s culture to be able to plan meaningful activities for them. For example, I

earlier discussed an opportunity to explore a teenager’s feeling with him through music. This

was a 16-year old African American male, who grew up in Philadelphia and lived in poverty. I
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completed the same activity with a 13-year old, Caucasian male who grew up in a rural area and

was part of a middle-class family. Though the same activity was used for each child, my

understanding about the variance in their life experiences and cultures affected the approach I

took to the activity. In the same way, educators need to understand variances in their students’

cultures and life experience to craft and tailor activities and lessons to their students lives and

interests. Since curriculum for the majority of history has been centered in a solidly white,

middle-class, male perspective, this area is crucial, and educators should be intentional to create

spaces for all types of student in our classrooms.

NAEYC states that only when teachers see their students as part of their cultural contexts

“can the teacher see children as they are to make decisions that are developmentally appropriate

to them” [CITATION NAE091 \p 10 \l 1033 ]. Demonstrating an understanding of culture,

diversity, language, and ethnicity is part of my own educational philosophy and NAEYC’s

standards. To add on to the examples I have laid out above, there are many situations in which

we can demonstrate this area of competence in our classrooms. As stated earlier, we could invite

a non-English speaking parent or family member to be part of and participate in the classroom

through reading a book in their native language. We can host cultural nights where families are

encouraged to share, explore, and educate others about their cultures. We can make sure our

classroom materials (such as books, supplementals, and presentations) include representation of

all types of students. These small examples have, in my opinion, big impact and express

intentional understanding of culture and diversity.

6b: In-depth understanding and thoughtful application of the NAEYC Code of Ethical

Conduct and other professional guidelines relevant to their professional role

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While I haven’t had the opportunity to interact with the NAEYC Code of Ethical

Conduct, social workers abide to their own Code of Ethics set forward by The National

Association of Social Workers. Many of my own personal educational philosophy opinions are

rooted in the relationship between these two worlds—educating young children and practicing

empowering the vulnerable and oppressed. Throughout this paper, I have included the NAEYC

Code of Ethical Conduct and discussed many ways I have, or plan to, demonstrate competence

with the ethical code set forth for educators.

The Code of Ethical Conduct breaks down ethical responsibilities to children, ethical

responsibilities to families, ethical responsibilities to colleagues, and ethical responsibilities to

community and society. In terms of our responsibilities to children, one NAEYC ideal that aligns

with my own educational philosophy is ideal I-1.8—“to support the right of each child to play

and learn in an inclusive environment that needs the needs of children with and without

disabilities” [CITATION NAE11 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. I have outlined many ways we can make our

classrooms environments which support learning for all students. This can occur through

differentiation and by effectively using assistive technology, both ‘low’ and ‘high tech’ options.

In this way, teachers can make sure they are giving all the students in their classroom the best

ability to succeed and learn.

NAEYC ideal I-2.3 states educators should be able “to welcome all family members and

encourage them to participate in the program, including involvement in shared decision making”

[CITATION NAE11 \p 3 \l 1033 ]. I have also expressed my feelings about family involvement in

the classroom. All families should be welcomed into the classroom, despite their differences or

current circumstances. We should be making space for families in the classroom. Regular

communication should be happening between families and the classroom through newsletters,
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send home forms, in person meetings, emails, etc. Collaborating in this way is crucial to

promoting success, as outlined in section 3c.

According to NAEYC, educators should “share resources with co-workers, collaborating

to ensure that the best possible early childhood care and education program is provided”

[CITATION NAE11 \p 5 \l 1033 ]. In social work, we value collaborating between members of a

team. In my work, without communication between county children and youth workers,

therapists, teachers, etc. we are not able to fully understand the scope of the child’s needs and

are, then, unable to care for them properly. In the same way, according to NAEYC, educators

need to work with co-workers to promote student success. Co-workers here does not just mean

other teachers and should go into other aspects of the school including school social workers and

guidance counselors, special needs support staff, speech language pathologists, etc. By sharing

information and tools to support individual students, teams are an essential tool to help us

succeed as teachers and to be able to have the best chance of helping our students to thrive.

One way my educational philosophy aligns with NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct is in

the area of responsibility to community and society. For example, NAEYC ideal 1-4.4 states that

educators are “to work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all

young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs” [CITATION

NAE11 \p 6 \l 1033 ]. I also believe educators have a responsibility to be advocates. In a

classroom sense, we should be advocating for the resources needed to support our varying

students. Beyond the classroom, educators should be advocates by using assessment to critique

and challenge program goals, working to make inclusive spaces for our students, especially

students who come from underprivileged circumstances or are part of an oppressed group.
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NAEYC ideal I-4.7 stated that educators are “to support policies and laws that promote

the well-being of children and families, and to work to change those that impair their well-being”

[CITATION NAE11 \p 6 \l 1033 ]. Earlier in this paper I explained that educators need to go out of

their way to understand systemic and structural forms of oppression. NAEYC also says that we

should do what we can to eradicate these forms of institutional oppression that effect our

students. My own educational philosophy also agrees with this. As educators, we have a unique

perspective by being ‘on the ground’ and observing how policies and procedures directly relate

to our students’ lives. We need to take our experiences and observations and advocate for

programs that aid our students and families and advocate against those that hinder them. For me,

my end goal is to work in education related policy, so the emphasis hear from NAEYC very

much aligns with the work I plan to do in the future.

6c: Using professional resources, inquiry skills and research methods to engage in

continuous, collaborative learning and investigation relevant to practice and professional role

Both I throughout this paper and NAEYC throughout their may publications place an

emphasis on professional and practice development. NAEYC states that “that good teaching

requires decision making means that teachers need solid professional preparation, as well as

ongoing professional development and regular opportunities to work collaboratively” [CITATION

NAE091 \p 6 \l 1033 ]. By enrolling in an accredited Pennsylvania teacher preparation program, I

hope to be able to uphold NAEYC’s expectation about solid professional preparation.

Additionally, I have stated throughout this paper that teachers are responsible for continuing

education and training, both on topics outside of the classroom (such as poverty or racism

trainings) and inside the classroom (such as training in practices or strategies).

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NAEYC also states in ideal I-4.8 that educators are “to further the professional

development of early childhood care and education and to strengthen its commitment to realizing

its core values” [CITATION NAE11 \p 6 \l 1033 ]. This also reflects my frame of thinking related

to our responsibility to continually educate ourselves. It is important as educators, as participants

of a learning community, as members of the helping professions that deal directly with

supporting others, and as competent and functioning citizens.

Ideal I-4.3 states that educators are “to work through education, research, and advocacy

toward an environmentally safe world in which all children receive health care, food, and shelter;

are nurtured; and live free from violence in their home and their communities” [CITATION NAE11

\p 6 \l 1033 ]. As someone who is passionate about the macro-level side of education, research is

extremely important. As I pointed out earlier, educators have a unique perspective by being ‘on

the ground’ and having the opportunity to directly observe the role policy and systems effect our

students. We should be doing what we can to gather evidence and data that will improve the lives

of our students and advocate for new programs, for strengthening existing programs, and against

programs which are not benefiting, or are hurting, our students.

“Teachers are not well served when they are stranded without the resources, tools, and

supports necessary to make sound instructional decisions, and of course children’s learning

suffers as well” [CITATION NAE091 \p 5 \l 1033 ]. Having an educational “toolbox” is crucial to

creating an environment where students can succeed in their learning. We need to make sure we

are consistently adding to our toolboxes as times and resources develop and change. If we are not

provided opportunities to do so, we should seek for them and advocate for them. Just as we

support our students with special needs by having resources available to them, our schools and

educational systems should have resources available to educators to assist them.

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Works Cited
Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood
Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Washington, DC: National
Association for the Education of Young Children.

NAEYC. ( 2011). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment.

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally Appropraite Praice in Early Childhood Programs Serving

Children from Birth through Age 8.

Wagner, E. (2020). Personal Educational Philosophy: Part 1. United States of America:

Millersville University .