Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 3

Once again, I contacted my international contact Dr. Susan Lyon and I shared with her my thoughts about excellence and quality as well as my professional goals and dreams. I posed the under mentioned questions to her and stated below are her responses.

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

This is all relates to the context or the location state, local or national level.  There are some minimum requirements here for teachers in ECE so my project provides a structure for professional development that most teachers do not get.  It is not required.  Their directors or bosses must believe in the training.  All kinds of non-profit organisations and agencies are offering PD in many areas: reading, literacy, parent  involvement., mental health.. the list goes on. Usually the school district decides on the choice of PD.  In ECE there is very little. All teachers deserve high quality thoughtful ongoing professional development thru their entire teaching career.  I forgot to emphasize ongoing.  We ask teacher to create a pd plan every year for themselves as well as the school has a pd plan with a particular focus. Many times schools and teachers get lost in their work without knowing where they are going.

What are some of your professional goals?

 My goal is to mentor.  My goal right now is to mentor a person I have chosen to take over the Innovative Teacher Project and expand it.  For the next 2 years she will co-direct with me learning about the project.  I am mentoring students in the doctorate program at Mills College.  To build a K-8 Italian immersion school in SF inspired by the Reggio Approach... this is already in the works.  I already established a preschool with a group of parents and it is the first Italian immersion preschool in SF.

What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?

I would love to make a film about the meaning of childhood.... it is in the infant stages now.  I am more interested in the visual than a book.  Several people have asked if I am going to write a book.  At this moment I believe the most important work is local.... everything I have done has always started very small and grown organically.... it is true and pure in a sense.  

Insights gained from the conversation.

When Dr. Lyon stated that all kinds of non­-profit organizations and agencies are offering professional development in many areas that struck a chord.  There are many persons who believe they can perform the duties of the early childhood professional, it does not require skill and that is what we have been discussing again this week which is furthest from the truth.  I strongly believe that training for early childhood teachers must be conducted by persons who are knowledgeable about child development, developmentally appropriate practices, teacher-parent partnerships, secure attachments with children in order for children to grasp school readiness skills for academic learning as well as that critical foundation in social and emotional regulations that make learning possible (Lasser & Fite, 2009 cited Zigler, Gilliam, Jones, 2006).

 Reference

Lasser, J & Fite, K. (2011). Universal Preschool’s Promise: Success in Early Childhood and Beyond. Early Childhood Educ J.