Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 9) Receive your free subscription to ExchangeEveryDay! ExchangeEveryDay Patience and a mulberry leaf will mak e a silk gown. -Chinese Proverb August 15, 2007 In the article “Teachers of Young Child ren Need Basic Inner Qualities,” Professor Gross comments that most writings on early childhood address “how children learn and what we shou ld teach them.” While universities create extensive teacher preparation courses of study, “the heart of the matter — the inner qualities needed for working effectively with young children — has been strangely overlook ed.” The five “inner qualities” Professor Gros s describes are: 1. There is enjoyment in learning. “ If we wish our children to love learning we must provide them with teachers who love learning.” 2. There is the ability to distinguish between personal and others’ needs. “[The teacher] will be less likely to inter pret children’s and parents’ behavior as either personal tribute or personal threat ” 3. There is knowledge about how youn g children learn. “[The teacher] must be able to constantly adapt and invent curriculum so that it flows with the tide of the children's learning.” Gross notes that this is the quality most focused on by educators and trainers. 4. The teacher must have a persona lity which is comfortable with openendedness. “ The basic inclination towards the unanswered question — the journey rather than the arrival — is a necessary quality in one who would Inner Qualities of Educators To begin receiving our free daily online newsbrief, visit www.ChildCareExchange.com/eed Continued at www.ChildCareExchange .com/eed ExchangeEveryDay is published by Exchange magazine, The Early Childhood Leaders' Magazine Since 1978. PO Box 3249, Redmond, WA 98073 (800) 221-2864 www.ChildCareExchange.com http://www.ChildCareExchange.com/eed http://www.ChildCareExchange.com/eed http://www.ChildCareExchange.com http://www.ChildCareExchange.com
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