More Than ‘Just’
As we celebrate the 26th annual Child Care Worker & Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, it felt timely to reflect on the language we use when talking about our work, the value we place on our profession, and the messages we unintentionally send to the educators and families around us.
So often, in conversation and reflection, the words “I’m just…” accompany conversations about our role as Early Childhood Educators. This word, “just”, can do a lot of damage. So many important and meaningful pieces of the work we do, and identities we hold, disappear when we use it. It is a passive devaluing of the complex work that we do. The College of Early Childhood Educators’ Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice reminds us that our role far exceeds the immediate tasks we carry out each day in our program routines. We are reflective professionals who make informed and intentional decisions; we build responsive relationships; we advocate for children’s well-being and learning; we collaborate with families and our co-educators; and possibly most importantly, we build environments where every child can feel a sense of belonging (2017).
Those outside of our sector may not know that we hold a responsibility to engage in ongoing professional learning; we are required to reflect on our practices and biases, and we use our gained knowledge to support the very diverse needs of the children and families we support. These responsibilities are huge. When we allow ourselves to be viewed as “just” a supply staff, or “just” someone to maintain ratio, we overlook the professional knowledge, the dedication, and the responsibility it takes to hold the role that we do.
The next time you catch yourself thinking …
“Just an ECE”
“Just playing”
“Just watching the children”
“Just keeping them busy”
Take a moment to look deeper into each of these moments.
What if “just playing” is really moments spent building positive relationships with the children and being part of their sense of belonging?
What if “just watching the children” is actually moments of you observing and planning how to extend their play through provocations?
What if “just keeping them busy” is really moments of you fostering the children's independence, supporting their emotional regulation and creating opportunities for exploration?
So much of our work lives in these ordinary moments, but you can be the educator that flips the script and proudly voice:
ECEs are…
Educators
Relationship Builders
Advocates
Researchers and reflective professionals
Environment curators
Interpreters
Co-learners
Community Builders
Protectors of childhood
& More!
The intention of this blog isn’t to convince others that we are more than ‘just’. It is to illuminate how MUCH we already are. The reality is, this work requires ongoing knowledge growth, learning, intentionality, skill, emotional labour, creativity, reflection, and care.
Whether you need this blog to help yourself see it, or to support others in seeing it - you are so much MORE than ‘just’ an ECE.
You are important.
You make a difference.
Your work matters.
Our hope for all of you this ECE and Child Care Worker Appreciation Day is to celebrate the value you already bring to this profession and leave the doubts about your impact behind. You are so much more than ‘just’.
References
College of Early Childhood Educators. (2017). Code and Standards. CECE Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for RECEs in Ontario.
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