When I was a teacher, I thought I was doing just that: teaching. Not that teaching wasn’t enough, but I could not see myself as anything else and, mainly, I could not see how to be “more than just a teacher”. I started my professional career in the field of international cooperation. I lived and worked in a few countries before settling down, first in California and now in England. I managed projects and carried out research within a variety of rural development projects, where topics of agricultural development, education, nutrition and health intersect. About 10 years ago I had a big change of heart. At the time I was volunteering at a Reggio-inspired preschool in San Francisco when I thought “this is where it all starts! This is what matters if you really want to change the course of someone’s life”. Seems pretty obvious, right? Well, maybe for the experienced early years teachers. But still not obvious to many -- and surely not to me until that day. Before then I had worked in primary and secondary schools, but I had never had the opportunity of working with very young children. I decided to spend a few years in the classroom before jumping into policy and research work targeted to this relatively new field (new to me). That is when I first saw the disconnect between policy, research and practice. Policy-makers were introducing policy proposals that showed a clear lack of understanding of child development, administration of early years settings and, in general, life on the frontline. Academics were carrying out brilliant research that would barely reach politicians. Practitioners were feeling disenfranchised and without a voice in the decision-making process. I think this is a common scenario in many fields, but it feels particularly strong in the early years. In no other sector have I seen politicians putting forward policies and policy recommendations without any direct knowledge pertaining to the field in question. What matters more is this seems completely acceptable, while it would not be tolerated in any other sector or even in higher education. Academics do great work that can be very relevant to the profession and the early years field. Unfortunately, the results produced by their research is often lengthy, which ultimately won’t be heard by policy-makers (or only portions are ‘cherry picked’). Practitioners do excellent work that goes unnoticed, leading many to feel disconnected and retreat in their field or even their classroom. So, then, many convince themselves that they are “just teachers”. I started my doctorate during my last year of teaching. One of my first-year requirements was a year-long field placement. My academic advisor thought I was a perfect fit for the Child Care Planning Council, a county level office that acts as intermediary between the State Department of Education and providers serving children 0 to 12 years old. I remember discussing my placement with my colleagues and director with excitement. Their reaction was along the lines of “what on earth is a planning council?”, “what will you exactly be doing?” or even “why are you so excited about it?” They had no idea of what I was talking about. In part, that was because I was working at a private centre that was not receiving public funding. But partly it was because they thought they were “just teachers” and were not engaging in public policy almost, as if policy was not affecting them. I continued to talk to them about what I was doing during my field placement and, more in general, through other school projects. I even interviewed some of them for a project on leaderships (the focus of my doctorate). From their answers it was clear that they just could not see themselves as leaders, let alone as advocates. In practice, they had no idea of how to be one. Many had the idea that to be a leader you need to take some big heroic steps. I used to think the same when I was working in the international cooperation arena. I wanted to change the world and, I thought, that required some big actions. That was until I realised that ‘the world’ can mean many things, including the world of your classroom and your community. I understood that once I became a teacher. After all, isn’t leading and advocating what teachers do all the time? When you are in the classroom, aren’t you leading by role modelling? When you talk to a parent about the importance of play-based activities, aren’t you advocating for children’s right to play? When you help a family cope with a transition, aren’t you changing their world? There are many ways in which teachers can be, and are, leaders within a setting, a classroom or a family. Some just do not recognise, or call, it leadership. Why is it so hard for teachers to see themselves as leaders and advocates outside of the classroom? There are many other arenas where educators can and should bring their perspective. Many might feel too detached from the policy-making process and think that they cannot influence it at all. We all need to challenge this attitude and the idea that a big heroic action needs to be taken for it to count as “engaging in policy”. In fact, one can begin with smaller scale initiatives. Start by staying informed. There is a wealth of organisations that disseminate newsletters with policy updates. Join their mailing list, even if the organisation does not represent the type of providers you work for. Sign up for updates from Early Education, even if you do not work in the maintained sector. If you are reading this blog, you are already a member of The Early Years Foundation Stage Forum. The FSF has over 35,000 subscribers! Those are 35,000 people that share your professional and personal interest in young children and their families. Take full advantage of this membership. Go from passive to active. Read the newsletters and the articles, as well as the resources linked to through the ‘What’s new’ section. But also, check out the National Day Nursery Association’s policy updates, the Pre-school Learning Alliance, the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, and the Association for Professional Development in Early Years, even if you do not get your professional development through these organisations. Break the silo within early years and break the silo within the education system. Read early years-related news through Nursery World, Tes, Schools Week and Children & Young People Now – as well as through the education section of the major newspapers - but also challenge yourself to read about education in general. Sometimes I feel that we, in the early years, complain about primary, secondary and tertiary education practitioners for not giving us enough regard but we often lack an awareness of their struggles and their experiences too. I know I often feel that way. I say, “If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain”. Be informed about what is happening in education and understand the whole system to find an entry point for the early years to get more attention. Other ways to engage is through online forums, but if you are reading this blog I do not need to be telling you this! The Foundation Stage Forum is a great place to start and you will find it a safe and energising place to engage. One aspect that I really appreciate of the FSF’s forums is that they allow you to look at different topics across children’s ages, across different stages of education and for various types of providers. It is powerful to read the experiences of people working in a different context. And it is even more powerful to move beyond reading. Engage! Discuss the topics you care about with other people within and outside the early years world, post on the various FSF forums and actively contribute to the content (if that feels too daunting to be done alone, you can do it in group). In addition, every organisation mentioned above (and many more) have an online presence. Some go beyond providing information and take a more active stand, from campaigning to responding to government consultations. Several organisations work with national and local government to help shape early years policy. Find the way to engage that is most comfortable to you. Another important way to have a voice is through signing petitions and, if you like social media, through Twitter. Twitter allows you to have quick access to information but also to participate in chats and to contact your MP directly. Finally, one often-overlooked way to make your voice heard is through online surveys. I know that sometimes we are bombarded with too many requests to answer surveys. Before becoming a researcher, I was not paying too much attention to them. Now that I am on the other end, I can tell you this: surveys can be very powerful in providing evidence to policy-makers. We need high-quality data and through surveys you can fill in gaps in the knowledge base of researchers and policy-makers and help bridge the disconnect between the latter and practitioners. Most importantly, engage in person. Many organisations have local affiliations and branches. Participate in their events, go to Local Authorities’ meetings and get to know other professionals in your areas (the FSF makes it easy for you as it advertises these meetings). And if you are in the London area, attend an All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting (APPG). APPGs are groups that include members of both Houses who meet together, relatively informally, to discuss a particular issue of concern. APPGs have no formal place in the legislature but are an effective way of bringing together parliamentarians and interested parties as they discuss topics that are at the centre of the policy discussion. APPGs allow campaign groups, charities, and other non-governmental organisations active in the field to become involved in regular conversations and influence politicians. At the moment, there are three APPGs that are of particular interest for the early years: the APPG Early Years, APPG Nursery Schools and 1001 Critical days. In the past year, for example, the ’30-hour entitlement’ and its consequences for private, voluntary and independent providers have been discussed several times at the APPG in Early Years. Other topics discussed in these venues were: qualifications pathways, continuous professional development and the cost of providing high-quality childcare. These meetings will inform you, outrage you and energise you at the same time. Most importantly, they will keep you at the centre of policy engagement. These are some examples of how to engage in policy and participate to the discussion of topics that are crucial for the early years. The picture would not be complete without mentioning a final piece: bring that engagement back to your setting, to your families and to your children. Talk with your colleagues and families about what you learn and what you think. Be the connecting piece between children and families and policy-makers. I know that all this takes time, but it is worth it. Every teacher should be aware of what is going on at policy level and participate to the debate. Ask your manager to make it part of a CPD or school improvement effort. You can be, and already are, a leader and an advocate with your children, with your colleagues, with your parents. Go beyond that! Get out there! Make your successes and your struggles visible. Make your children and their families’ experiences visible. Speak up and show up! You are more than “just a teacher”. You are the expert!
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