translated post from Lärande Framtid

 A translated post... from Erika Kyrk Seger's brilliant blog Lärande Framtid (Learning Future)
 Take the time to pop over to her blog - especially if you prefer to read it in Swedish... and also to explore some of her other very interesting posts...

"Today you will meet your child's preschool teacher - what will you share?

There are many blog entries about the assignment of the preschool teacher. In a way all the posts tend to be about the reconquering of the profession. A profession which in many ways is wavering. A profession that we understand in many different ways depending on education, experience and the colleagues / business we work in.

My understanding of the mandate reflects my professional capacity -  if I do not see the preschool's role as important -  I will then not understand that I, as a teacher, am important in children's learning and development.

In this kind of "mission dialogue" that takes place within establishments, universities and social media there reveals a lack of understanding of what a preschool can be. In this post I am thinking above all of the adults - not forgetting the children - but I'm thinking about pre-school as a workplace. For as I have written in several posts, I meet a weariness, bitterness and people who need to be confirmed - and all of this is at the expense of the children. But I choose to put the children to the side and instead think about preschool as a workplace. There is a dissatisfaction with resources that they experience there is a lack of, there is a bitterness of the profession not being what they thought, there is a need to be appreciated and rejoice together in the workplace.

  To be seen is important, to learn and smile together.

I know we have to talk about the profession - we have a mission for our service. I as a teacher I have  been employed for this task and there is nothing I can do to contradict what is in our curriculum - and I am against documenting, from starting from the children's interests or if I do not want to reflect on the activities - I ought to find another profession. Preschool is no charity where we meet up with people who no longer want to work there but nevertheless it may look like it at times. And I want to strike a blow for the human in this. For those who know that this is NOT something you want to do, our settings will not feel good by tyour presence and it will affect our work, the children's everyday lives, our educational learning environments and more.

What view of humanity do we want to convey to children and colleagues if I want is to go home again. How will the fact that there too many children or too much documentation requirements affect me as a person - how will I live fully in the joy?

I feel grateful when I encounter this joy - for it is privilege to have been part of setting in where colleagues long to work, which together raises the profession to something more than just "watching children", who, together with the children, explore the day and with them face life with curiosity and constant preparation for the unexpected. But I am also sorry for the people who once chose the profession of these reasons, but  got stuck somewhere along the way - and where the firey passion of the profession nowadays is hardly a glowing piece of coal that now meet, without passion, the children who want to learn but do not get an antithesis.

  To retrieve the glow and get the fire started again requires a lot of work and patience - processes that are not easy for either the "educator" or for the person behind the educator.

It requires many somersaults and body will be full of learning and aching bruises.

 But we need to catch these people - for the setting falls otherwise with them. We are only as strong as the weakest link and it is a collective effort to take the embers and build a fire together. It is not just the manager's job - it is our common job - all preschool teachers and childcare workers. (here she talks about the name of "barnskötare" - which is hard to translate into English, and therefore this line is hard to translate in a meaningful way)

We must also safeguard the future as there is a  huge shortage of teachers in preschool, we need people who put wood on our fire and the wood we find in college -  our students. But if the wood is placed on extinguished coal - it will not take. Students will opt out of the preschool if there is a lack of activity. If there is only bitterness and fatigue that meet our students when they come out or when they read in social media so they choose not to put their sticks on us old coals.

     We, acting preschool teachers, have a responsibility to convey a great profession to these students.

A profession with huge opportunities where we as adults have (as a colleague of mine said) the honor to accompany the children in their exploration of the world.

And maybe, just maybe ... you'll meet students today who will explore with your children or grandchildren tomorrow - so what preschool teachers do you want to meet your child?"





A translated post... from Erika Kyrk Seger's brilliant blog Lärande Framtid (Learning Future)
 Take the time to pop over to her blog - especially if you prefer to read it in Swedish... and also to explore some of her other very interesting posts...