In the field of education, there are several codes of conduct that govern the professionals who work with children and families. This week, we reviewed two documents that outline some of those rules. They both served as a reminder of the importance of professionalism, advocacy, and leadership.
In the Code of Ethics of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) for the Council for Exceptional Children, the one that resonates with me is "we shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children" (DEC, 2009). Parents of children with special needs are faced with so many obstacles when they are navigating the education system. It has recently become clear to me that we are not only responsible for the present care and education of the young children in our program, but we must also support families and prepare them for their future in education and provide them the tools to access all of the necessary resources to help them be successful. This might be public school services, PCA services, or evaluations that will allow them to access that support.
In NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment, there are two ideals that are significant to me and my professional role. The first outlines my responsibility to the employees of the program. It states that we are "to encourage and support continual development of employees in becoming more skilled and knowledgeable practitioners" (NAEYC, 2005). As a supervisor of teachers and support staff, it is important that I be able to recognize the strengths of each employee and identify areas of growth. I believe that we have much to learn from each other and I encourage my team to share knowledge with one another, while evaluating areas in which to provide additional training. Some of the areas we have begun to focus on is how to best incorporate curriculum standards, creating a responsive classroom, and working with challenging behaviors in an inclusive environment.
The second ideal that resonates with me is the one that states that we are "to work through education, research, and advocacy toward an environmentally safe world in which all children receive health care, food, and shelter; are nurtured; and live free from violence in their home and communities" (NAEYC, 2005). this is a comprehensive summary of why I chose to enter this masters program. I am passionate about working in a field that does everything it can to educate not only children and families, but the surrounding community about the importance of investing in young children. It is my hope that I can have a broader scope of influence in the field of early education.
References:
The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.dec-sped.org/
NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
I total agree with you on the part about supervising teachers. That is a great point you brought out. It is so important that we keep the line between supervisor and friend. I enjoy your blog post each week.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that we not only educate children and families, but also the communities in which we work and live. As educators we understand the importance of healthy early childhood development, but others around us may not. As part of our responsibility to the children, we must advocate for them to grow & develop in healthy homes and communities.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
You could not have say that any better if i would have say it myself. Our friendship sometimes have to stay at a range. There are some things we just have to established in our environment.
ReplyDeleteI think there were many people that posted about continuing education for people. I also posted about training and making sure people in this field are doing research and reading because the research and theories change and evolve so often.
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