Professionalism

I think that professionalism is an important aspect of our job as early childhood educators because our job is not what many would consider "professional".  I don't believe that the majority of people outside of the education world know the extent of training, knowledge, experience, and researched based theories that goes into creating a quality learning environment for young children.  Most people feel that we get paid to play with playdough! :)  Especially in early childhood, I think that is it important to treat our job professionally and in doing so, to have interactions with parents, staff members, and community members that respect the professionality (is that a word?) of our position as teachers.  This has to do with how teachers conduct themselves, a professional appearance and manner, as well as with the seriousness with which we approach the art of teaching.  Part of that professionalism is to educate others and be advocates in the community as to the importance of quality early childhood education.  This also ties into connections with other educators and community members, making a network of ECE professionals.  In my own internship, professionalism means that I respect the diverse styles of teaching even if they are different from my own.  Though all parents raise their children differently, the essentially all want the best for their kids.  Likely, though all teachers teach differently, they essentially all want their children to succeed.  Being professional, to me, means not judging but respecting differences.