The second ideal is from the DEC Code of Ethics. It states, "We shall be responsible for maintaining the appropriate national, state, or other credential or licensure requirements for the services we provide while maintaining our competence in practice and research by ongoing participation in professional development and education activities" (DEC, 2000). I think it is very important that people in our field understand and follow all the guidelines that pertain to our field. It relates back to my first ideal in which we should not harm children. By following the appropriate guidelines and requirements, we can provide a safe and healthy learning environment. The other part of the ideal includes professionals in the field staying up to date on the latest research and requirements in the field. This can be done through trainings, taking classes, frequently visiting resources, etc. I am a part of that because I go to trainings and take classes but I also deliver trainings to our county's providers. I consider our field to be active since there is always new research being conducted as we continue to learn more about child development. We need to keep abreast of these new findings to better teach and take care of young children and their families.
For the third ideal, I combined two ideals from DEC and NAEYC. DEC states, "We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families and of those of whom we work" (DEC, 2000). NAEYC states, "To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers" (NAEYC, 2005, p. 5). Both ideals speak of building a relationship with others in the field. I chose this because this is important to me both personally and professionally. I can relate to this personally since I have a child still in the early childhood system. It is important that as a parent I have a relationship with the people that take care of my child. I want to be able to trust that they will watch and take of my son while he is in their care. If I did not have that relationship and trust, I would be looking at another center. In my professional life, this relationship building skill is important. Providers and I have to be able to trust each other and build a relationship in order for my technical assistance be effective. If I just came into their classroom and pointed out all the things there were doing wrong and did not work with them to create appropriate learning environments, then they would resist me and make my job harder. I view each classroom that I go into as another person's home. You have to go in with respect and build a relationship so you will be invited back. I remember being a teacher and having others come into my classroom. I did not take kindly to those that just ordered me around and did not build a relationship with me. However, I did build relationships and liked the people that came in and treated me with respect. I also think it is important that we treat each other with respect and build relationships. We are a field that needs to have resources and rely on each other. We all bring different experiences and expertise to the field. We can learn from each other. If we do not trust or respect each other, then we will not learn and not be able to effectively take care of and teach children.
References
The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved October 14, 2013,
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005, April). Code of ethical
conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from
Myra,
ReplyDeleteWe picked some of the same things from the code of ethics. You are right that we need to continue to learn ourselves to be able to teach children. Trainings and classes are so important.