I have met teachers and other professionals working in the
education field not only because of the monetary wage they get, that most of the
time does not compensate their hard work, but because they love and are
passionate about what they do. I consider that love is an important ingredient
that in most cases makes a difference in our teaching, because when we love
something we defend it and care about it, and that that is what we do for the
early childhood. Is there any other way to advocate for and promote equity in
the field than by defending what we do?
As part of their programs and events, the Association for
Childhood Education International (http://www.acei.org/)
has begun a campaign with such engaging name: Love Me, Teach Me (http://www.acei.org/programs-events/love-me-teach-me.html).
Through this campaign the ACEI wants to promote the needs and rights of children
everywhere, based on four cornerstones: See Me, Hear Me, Love Me, and Teach Me.
The campaign is called Love Me, Teach Me since these two facts contribute most
significantly to a child’s overall development and well-being.
The first cornerstone, See Me, is related to the children’s
right to identity, which is aimed to ensure that children are consider visible
members of their society, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, culture,
religion, ability, family status, or national origin.
The second cornerstone, Hear Me, is about the children’s
right to participation. This fact invites us to reflect on how we include
children, when we listen to them and take their ideas and themselves into account
when we make decisions. Sometimes adults forget that children have voice and we
do not listen to them just because they are children. When they are excluded
from group activities or when they do not have access to medical care, the
message they receive is that their needs and ideas are not important. Let’s listen
to what they have to say and ensure they can satisfy their needs. Let’s make
them feel important, because they are!
The Love Me cornerstone is aimed to ensure the children’s
right to security, stability, and protection, first of all through their parents
and family, who are their primary caregivers. When we work with children it is
easier for us to love them, but when people are not directly related to them
the decisions made on their job affect children too, like the images created
when designing commercial advertising campaigns to the development of public
policy.
The last cornerstone, Teach Me, is related to the children’s
right to education. The ACEI highlights the importance of having access to
quality education, but in order to get it, parents, caregivers and community
members have to make efforts to ensure the education promotes the development
of the whole child, through engaging experiences not only at school but in their
homes and communities too.
I think that taking these four cornerstones into account when
we work with children, will help us to improve our teaching practices, while we
ensure their wellbeing and development through experiences they can freely chose in an environment that has
been created based on their ideas and needs.