MY EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATORS PASSIONATE
CREED
Roseanne Pickering
PIPI 7931 – Being and Becoming: Teacher as
Professional
Assignment
Cover Sheet
My Philosophy
My Philosophy is developed from who I am, my
development of knowledge and practice over the
past years.
 I teach out of my character and my personality,
my nurturing and playful nature, my love for
relationships, challenges and responsibility.
 I am marked with Gods love and compassion, I
want to share this with others as I work alongside
families to raise up the following generations.
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Image of the Child
Potential
Powerful
Engaging
Active agents & go
researchers
Unique
Amazement
Establishing
Relationships
Desires to gain knowledge
Respected Involved
Preparedness
Curious
Commutative
Rich in experiences
Competent & Capable
Constructing
their learning
Protagonist of their own learning
Role of the Teacher
Teacher as researcher
& Collaborator
To document &
capture conversation
To observe & listen
Be apart of a team
To know each child individually,
On going reflection
To be very open
To question and extend
To reflect & support
To gather with
the children
Respecting children’s
work & the process
Act as a resource for the children &
Partners to the process of learning.
Being and Becoming:
Teacher as Professional
A professional educator
is one that has integrity,
authenticity and is
transparent. Shows
genuine love and cares
for those around her, he
takes up responsibility
and is filled with
motive, determination
and has a positive
attitude.
Being and Becoming:

Teacher as Learner
Educators need to be ‘ready, willing and
able to engage profitably with learning’
(Claxton & Carr, 2004, p. 87).
Being and Becoming:
Teacher as Nurture
A nurturing teacher is one who knows each
individual child; she knows their abilities, interests
and passions. A nurturing teacher is one that
supports the child and their families, they show love
and compassion; they are able to support child’s
emotional well-being and are prepared for the
unexpected.

Being and Becoming:
Teacher as Christian Educator

Jesus is a model for all those who are called to teach
(Pazmino, 2001).
Jesus had time for people; he showed unconditional
love, encouraged and supported those he taught.
“Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having
the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
As a Christian educator it is my ambition to live as Jesus
did, I want to be strong in my faith and I want my
students to know I have a genuine love for them, I want
to meet their needs, provide encouragement and
support them through all stages of growth and
development.
Being and Becoming:
Teacher as Servant Leader
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Servant Leader characteristics:
Displays a caring love for others
Others best interest at heart
Growing and developing those around me
Accepting obligation
Has desire for accountability
Always listening
Genuine humility of heart
Relationships
I believe relationships are one of the upmost
important foundations of early education. Children
learn through positive, responsive and reciprocal
relationships with people, places and things
(Ministry of Education, 1996).
It’s important teachers strive to create all
relationships in the best interest of the children and
their families, as I believe when strong relationships
are formed it empowers young children to explore
confidently and freely and sets the foundations for
later in life.
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The Relationship Triangle
Parents and
Child
Fostering
Relationships
Community
Centre and
Staff
Family/Whanau
“When the family, and its knowledge of the child, is
viewed as an integral part of the learning community,
strong, responsive, reciprocal relationships can then be
formed between the family and the centre, supporting
the child’s sense of belonging”
(Jones, 2006. p. 28)
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These relationships can be achieved by regular
communications, parent days, making connections with
children’s interests and home environment, family walls,
learning stories and funds of knowledge.
Staff Interaction
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I believe staff need to have an open
understanding, reciprocal relationships and
two-way communication for a team to run
smoothly.
A team needs to share a similar philosophy
and know they each have a valued place
within the a centre.
Environment
I see the environment as being one that that
educates and mirrors the ideas, values, attitudes
and cultures of those that live in it. An environment
that promotes relationships, provides challenges,
choices and activities and has potential for sparking
all kinds of social, affective and cognitive learning
(Edwards, C,P., Gandini, L., Forman, J, E.,1998).
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Outdoor Space
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Construction
Imagination
Discovery
Exploration
Challenging
Natural
Elements
Sustainable
Quite Space
Opportunity
Resources
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Children and teachers have access to many resources,
keeping in mind not all resources have to be the newest
equipment but can be creativity home or centre made.
I believe that one man’s trash can be another man’s
treasure.
Resources should be maintained and safety checks for
equipment should be done regularly.
The resources should be accessible and at a height for
children, whilst other resources should be stored safely
for teachers to use.
Positive Guidance

I believe teachers should be equipped with tools to
provided all children with guidance as they develop
physically and socially.
Nutrition and Safety
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Centres should be well equipped and following
current regulations for safely. I believe it is
important for teachers to have a understanding of
current polices and practices that will effect the
daily environment.
Its important children are brought up on a nutritious
diet, centres providing food consult parents on what
they are serving and take opportunities to discuss
with children healthy options.
Curriculum
Te Whaariki
 Planning and Assessment
 Learning though Play
 Policies and Practices
Multiculturalism and Diversity
 Creative Arts
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Planning and Assessment
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Planning, assessment and evaluation is an on-going
(Sutton, 1997) task that should be happening
throughout our classroom to see and develop learning
opportunities and to set goal we can aim for making
the process objective as possible (Sutton, 1997).
Learning through Play
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“Play is a tool for learning and practitioners who
acknowledge and appreciate this can, through
provision, interaction and intervention in
children’s play, ensure progression,
differentiation and relevance in their
development.”
(Moyles J, 1996)
Polices and Practices
“Polices should be seen as playing a key role in
promoting shared beliefs and values, they should
underpin day-to-day practices and be a baseline for
everyday decisions. “
(Jones, C, A., & Pond, L. 2008)
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Regulations, philosophies and polices influences the
practices within an early childhood setting.
As an educator I need to understand and partake in
regular changes, and updates of these influence. I also
want to share a similar philosophy with those in which I
work with.
Multiculturalism and Diversity
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I believe teachers need to be aware of diversity
and multiculturalism in the classroom, we need to be
equipped with knowledge and tools on how we can
best include all children and their families no matter
what their background.
I believe centres need to equipped with resources
and areas for children to explore other cultures.
Creative Arts
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Children are never too young to start exploring art in
many different mediums and forms. The benefits of art
exploration are wide, ranging from physical cognitive
development.
Art gives children the opportunity to develop friendships
and social skills, it allows children to express emotion and
often
create
‘original’
ideals.
Creative arts should be available for children to do on a
daily-bases with teachers finding ways to extend
activities and interest, focusing more on the process and
development rather than the final product.
Reference List Page One
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Almon, J (2009.) The Vital Role of Play in Early Childhood Education. Ann S.
Epstein
Balkin, A. (2000). What is Creativity? What is it not? Music Educator’s
Journal, 90(5). 35-39.
Brownlee, P. (2007). Magic Places. Auckland, New Zealand: Play centre
Federation.
Carr, M. (2001). Assessment in Early Childhood Settings. Waikato, New
Zealand: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Clyde, J. A., Miller, C., Sauer, S,. Liebert, K., Parker, S., & Runyon, S. (2006).
Teacher and children inquire into Reggio Emilia. Language Arts, 83(3),
215-226.
Reference List Page Two
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Daly, E,. Byers, E,. & Taylor, W. (2004). The handbook for early years
managers: Early years management in practice. Jordan Hill, Oxford:
Heinemann Education Publishes.
Drummond, M.J., Rouse, D., & Pugh, G. (1993). Making assessment work.
England: Nottingham Group and National Children’s Bureau.
Edwards, C. P., Gandini, L,. Forman, G. E,. (1998). The hundred languages of
children: the Reggio Emilia approach. Greenwhich, CT: Greenwood
Publishing Group
Freeman, N.K., & Knopf, H.T. (2007). Learning to speak with a professional
voice: Initiating preservice teachers into being a resource for parents.
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 28,141-152.
Reference List Page Three
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Gailer, S. (2010). Being Professional: First, do no harm! The First Years: Nga
Tau Tuatahi. New Zealand Journal for Infant and Toddler Education, 12(2),
19-24.
Gandini, L. 1998. “Education and Caring Spaces” in Edwards, C., Gandini,
L., & Forman, G. The Hundred Languages of Children. Greenwich, CT: Ablex.
Hedges, H. (2009). Children's interests: From play to funds of knowledge as
an analytic framework. Playcentre Journal, 136, 20-23
Hendrick, J, (1997). First steps towards teaching the Reggio Way. Upper
Saddle River: NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hughes, R. (2010). Where is the love? Putting love at the heart of early
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Reference List Page Four
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Jones, C, A., & Pound, L. (2008). Leadership and management in the year
years: from principles to practice. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press
Jones, C. (2006). Continuity of learning: adding funds of knowledge from
the home environment. Early childhood folio, 10, 27-31
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the home environment. Early childhood folio, 10, 27-31
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Reference List Page Five
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Mayesky, M. (2012). Creative activities for children, (10th ed.) Melbourne,
Australia: Wadworth Cengage Learning.
Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga
mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, Learning
Media.
McFarland, L., Saunders, R., & Allen, S. (2009). Reflective practice and
self-evaluation in learning positive guidance: Experiences of early
childhood practicum students. Early Childhood Educ J, 36, 505-511.
McFarland, L., Saunders, R., & Allen, S. (2008). Learning and teaching
positive guidance skills: Lessons from early childhood practicum students.
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 29, 204-221
Reference List Page Six
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Morris, D. (2010). Child, how children think, learn and grow in the early years.
London, UK: Hamlyn
New Zealand Teachers Council: Code of ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/ethics/index.stm
Nixon, L. (n.d.). Jesus: the master teacher. Retrieved from
http://www.outbackpatrol.com.au/masterteacher.htm .
Norsworthy, B., with BTI teacher education team members. (2009).
Conceptual framework for the BTI Diploma in Teaching (ECE) programme.
Tauranga, NZ: Bethlehem Tertiary Institute.
Reference List Page Seven
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Pazmino, R. (2001). Jesus the Master Teacher, Jn Anthony, M. J. (Ed). (2001).
Introducing Christian education: Foundations for the twenty-first century.
Grand Rapide: Baker Academic. pp. 111 – 124
Sharp, C. (2004, Autumn). Developing young children’s creativity: what can
we learn from research? Topic, 32, 5-12.
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http://www.regent.edu/acad.global/conference/servant/home.shtml
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