THE EDITOR, Sir:
JANUARY 2004 marks the beginning of a new school term. Let me take this opportunity to wish for early childhood practitioners, a happy and productive new year. It is important to note that teachers of young children have a multifaceted role to play in the synthesis of education and care. Working with young children is indeed a fascinating and rewarding experience, though not without challenges. It demands practical and theoretical knowledge, sensitivity, creativity, hard work and dedication. The major challenge has to do with responding to the uniqueness of each child, while being faced with the everyday concerns about overcrowding, lack of resources, and a lack of parental involvement.
Despite the challenges, I must applaud teachers who continue to provide quality education for young children, by creating a communicative learning environment, that speaks the developmental language of each child. I applaud Basic School teachers in particular, for their resourcefulness, and salute those who saw it necessary to become trained early childhood practitioners.
Colleagues, it is important to remember that as children explore, discover, construct understanding, and create personal meaning, it is important to support and enhance exploration, extend play opportunities, respond to their interests, and create numerous avenues for them to use learning in many ways. Thus, learning becomes not only meaningful but functional.
The current thrust towards the advancement of early childhood education is phenomenal, but we still have miles to go. I believe that as a country, we have made great strides because we began the first step, in the journey of a thousand miles. That is, a commitment to building our nation by providing quality early childhood education.
I am, etc.,
JULENE McLAUGHLIN
jmclaughlin28@hotmail.com
Early childhood educator
