The Seven Faces of the Early Childhood Educator

As society does away with the old, controlling, stereotypes of teaching, educators embrace the new methods which place the child as the central figure instead of what use to be the teacher.  The author, Jill Miels, of the article, “The Seven Faces of the Early Childhood Educator”, identifies seven important roles that teachers should consider while teaching.  The seven roles are: Communicator, Facilitator, Coach, Model, Researcher, Storyteller, and Keeper of the Watch. In Milels’s article, she states, “If I've learned nothing else over the past quarter century, I've learned that each individual must decide which roles to embrace and which roles to reject.”  She gives a little definition for each of the roles mentioned so that teachers may pick and choose the ones that best suits their teaching styles.

     The “communicator’s” role isn't just about talking to people; it’s about listening to what others have to say.  This is especially important when the “others” are the children.  They need to know that they are being heard and what they have to say is valued.  The role of facilitator can be a very time consuming job.  The “facilitator” oversees the classroom; offering encouragement and guidance to the children.  They are constantly trying to improve the children’s learning environment; by keeping up with the most current research.  As “coaches”, educators become the children’s mentors. Giving them assistance and knowledge that they need in order to establish a sense of community.  A “model” is someone who teaches by example. The behaviors you wish to teach your students, should be modeled by their teacher and adults.  The “keeper of the watch” role, isn't just to make sure the room is running smoothly, it’s also to make sure that the classroom activities are conducted in a timely manner. The "Storytelling Role" is an important role that many children can benefit from. Teachers can help children acquire this skill by teaching them how important it is to pass down stories from generations to generations.  A  "Researcher’s Role", is to gathers information about how students interact in the classrooms. “This helps teachers gain more knowledge  on how particular populations react in specific environments." Miels.

     Many preschools and childcare centers have already begun making improvements to their establishments. They have begun to incorporate the new teaching techniques to go along with the ever-changing early childhood education. Miels has constructed a list of many important roles that teachers should review and include in their everyday teachings. I believe that all seven roles are equally important and should all be utilized by all teachers.

     In the Head Start Program, you will find that the teachers are required to use these seven roles in their classrooms. When I first starting working for Head Start, I found it to be a bit challenging.  The memories I had of teachers, were the old stereotypes that Miels mention in her article. The new standards of early childhood learning has changed the way I view education as a whole. This is an article that everyone with children should read. These roles that the article offers could be applied in the home as well as in school.

      When you work with preschoolers it is important to remember that these first few years of their lives are when they learn the most. Therefore, it is very important for teachers to take the time to research the new techniques and methods that can improve their quality of teaching. As an educator myself, taking the time to cultivate the learning experience for young children proves necessary. Their well-being and understanding depends on the educator, hence the reason why these roles are important to the children’s development. Neglect breeds ignorance and in a learning environment, only the child suffers in the long run. This is why the educator must provide the best  learning experience possible for the children.