1. “How do I know I am ready to be an Early Childhood Educator who is
about to emerge into profession?”
I wouldn’t say one accomplishment is what I’m proud off as I am proud of the total
journey of all the placements I’ve had through my ECE. My first placement was with
infants/toddlers, second in preschool and last preschool, school-age and specialized.
I’ve learned from each of the placements I’ve held and the learning’s I’ve gained from
each one as they all had a different style. I especially felt proud of all the different
activities I was able to plan and perform.
There were a few challenges I encountered one being when I initially started off having
to deal with infants. I didn’t have much experience dealing with them or much about
understanding how they react. I didn’t even know how to take much care of them. For
example I had struggles on how to change a diaper, make formula milk for the children,
and putting the children to sleep. Initially I was assisted by the ECE and later I
developed the skills to do these tasks on my own. I initially struggled to communicate
with the children’s parents as I was shy however I slowly started to do this by
communicating about the children’s to their parents.
I discovered that I don’t know everything but I love to learn from others around me and
develop through each of my experiences so I consider myself a lifelong learner. I’ve
also learned to reflect on my daily activities and it has helped me understand myself
even better and I feel as being a reflective practitioner goes hand in hand with being a
lifelong learner.
2. I learned about a lot of six principles of ELECT: principle one, the early years set the
foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour, health and well-being. Principles two,
partnerships with families and communities help early childhood settings to best meet
the needs of young children. Principles three, respect for diversity, equity and inclusion
is vital for optimal development and learning. Principles four, a planned program
supports early learning. Principles five, play is a means to learning that capitalizes on
children’s natural curiosity and exuberance. Principles six, knowledgeable and
responsive early childhood educators and other early learning practitioners are essential
to early childhood settings. Now understanding these principles and teachings I will be
able to start my career with a better understanding. I was able to gain strength through
teachers in the college and the ECE’s at my placement that gave me feedback on my
role and responsibilities, which has given me a better understanding that I can take to
my future roles. I also have a better ability to communicate with the children and their
parents whom I think are essential to the success in my future role. I learned to
communicate with non English speaking parents of the children through training from
my fellow ECE’s as this is something I first struggled with. So all of these cumulative
skills I have gained over the terms have helped me enter the field with greater skills and
principles to guide me.
I would intent to create a positive, lasting change in the lives of young children and their
families at both a local and a global level is by helping the community and getting
involved in activities that deal with the children and their families. When I graduate in the
ECE field, I am ready to make a change to the world and most importantly the lives of
the children I encounter.
