Hi, I'm Greg & I am an Early Childhood Teacher from Australia. I write a blog called Males in Early Childhood which you can find by clicking here.
The title of this post may be a bit misleading. I am referring to those who teach & are parents, not parents being taught. Earlier in the year I published a series of posts about the similarities & differences between being a father & being an early childhood educator. This will be an abridged version of those 6 posts.
I became a parent before I became a teacher, at least professionally. We all teach in one form or another from time to time, whether it be teaching someone the ropes in their new job or how to tie their shoe laces. Becoming a parent was the proudest day of my life & I had to learn a whole new set of skills which meant I was of being taught by my baby.
This is a very important point as almost anyone who has had children would testify, you learn something new about them all the time, not to mention often something about yourself. As an early childhood professional I realise the formative years of a child's life are the most important for their growth & development, but it can also be a time when children can teach us the most - about themselves, the world around us & ourselves.
As my children have grown the way they interact with me & their attitude towards me have changed, especially my teenage daughter. However, I believe I still have some lessons to teach them & they definitely are able to teach me a thing or two. What I have come to realise is that being a parent has made me a better teacher & teaching young children has improved my parenting.
Early childhood education and care can be a stressful and challenging career, yet the rewards you get from it are, to me, only surpassed by the benefits of being a parent. So whether you teach young children, older children, adolescents, are a parent or none of the above, at some point in your life you are likely to teach someone some new skills and/or knowledge. If you can take something away from the experience that has helped you grow as well than I believe you've done your job well.
With that in mind I would like to think I'm doing a decent job as a father & a respectable one as a teacher. If I am right then I will be leaving this world in some good hands for the future.
great post Greg - I'm sure you are doing an awesome job on both counts! It is something I sometimes do struggle with as am not a parent but just a teacher, and I rely on my assistant with her parenting head to keep me right on some issues.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kierna & I am sure you have your own strengths. Being a parent doesn't automatically make you a better parent & visa versa. You have your own unique perspective on working with children.
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I often think I learn much more than the kids do~whether it's my students at school or my own children at home!
ReplyDeleteAs for your statement: "What I have come to realise is that being a parent has made me a better teacher & teaching young children has improved my parenting."~ so true!!!! I couldn't agree more! Thanks Greg for your wonderful insights! :)
Love your post, Greg! I, too, totally agree with your statement: "What I have come to realise is that being a parent has made me a better teacher & teaching young children has improved my parenting." I didn't have my first child until I was 29, and I've been amazed to look back and realize how much my training in education became a natural part of my parenting.
ReplyDeleteThe activity in the photo looks fascinating - and fun! I'm intrigued... Deb @ LivingMontessoriNow.com
Thank you Ayn & Deb. We all have a range of experience & influences that impact on how we teach & parent.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I didn't become a parent until 30, but became a teacher much later. So I drew on my parenting experiences during my training, which I felt complimented the scholarly knowledge that was informing my training.
Both teaching & parenting are valuable roles to children & society in general.