Parents as Partners in Early Childhood Education

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion."
~Dale Carnegie

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
~Mother Teresa

How well rounded a teacher are we, really? At one point in my teaching career I was allergic to parents in the early childhood setting. I said nothing more than a cheerful ‘hello’ and ran the other way or became engrossed in something…anything. I eventually got the hang of it-how? I pushed myself, and I saw the how it benefited the not only the child but the parent. Another hidden bonus was I was less likely to have misunderstandings between myself and the parents if a situation happened. We had already established a relationship and invested time in one another. I never took it lightly that a parent or guardian entrusted a small child’s life and well being in my care. To me, it is no small thing. Parents working with teachers as partners in a child’s education makes a very big impression on a child-no matter how young they are. They have a sense something very important and wonderful is happening to, for and about them. They may not understand it fully- but as it comes to fruition; coupled with foundations of success and love- adults in their lives can assist them with a love of learning and success skills that can carry them well beyond the after years.