Presents 14 reflections about the role of teachers. Topics include taking a stand on a select group of issues; decision making; teachers' judgment; teaching self-respect; teachers as lifelong students; respect for adversaries; the power of ideas; and the optimum environment. (RJC)

To assess whether or not a child's development is going well, preschool teachers might ask the following questions: Does the child fall asleep easily and wake rested? Does the child eat with appetite? On the average, over a period of 3 or 4 weeks, does the child have bowel and bladder control? Does the child exhibit a range of emotions? Does the…

In the course of controversies over preschool goals and methods for disadvantaged children, practices identified with professional preschool education predating Head Start have become labeled "traditional", and teachers associated with it are stereotyped as "sentimental". A cluster of teacher attributes implied by the…

Much can be gained by providing preschool children opportunities to work on projects. Projects invite children's participation at various developmental levels; strengthen their capacity and disposition for involvement in work requiring sustained effort; and are ideal for mixed age, ability, or linguistic groups. Teachers have a central role to…

Two aspects of preschool teaching, teacher role and teacher style, are discussed in this paper. Teacher role refers to a teacher's behavior concerning the duties, responsibilities, and functions expected of the teacher by her clients and herself. Teacher style refers to the way in which individual teachers perform their roles. Teachers have had…

Discusses maternal, therapeutic and instructional teacher role models and effects of teaching styles on preschool children. Suggests need for preschool educators to be more sensitive to parents' goals, which may be more instructional and control oriented than the teacher's. (NH)

It is asserted that under the influence of curriculum developers, R&D disseminators, and general cultural influences, teachers of young children perceive that part of their role is to keep their children excited (high level of responsiveness) or "turned on." This perception leads to (1) child dependence on and expectation of adult-induced…

During the past two decades, a convincing body of evidence has accumulated to indicate that unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6 years, they have a high probability of being at risk into adulthood in several ways. This digest presents a checklist of attributes of child social behavior that teachers are encouraged…

During the past two decades, a convincing body of evidence has accumulated to indicate that unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6 years, they have a high probability of being at risk into adulthood in several ways. This digest presents a checklist of attributes of child social behavior that teachers are encouraged…

Teacher-child relationships are complex phenomena which can be described and observed from a variety of angles, on many different levels. Recent research contributes some information applicable to the analysis of teacher-child relations and identifies issues for further study. Teacher functions or duties may depend, in part, upon the teacher's…

Discusses the special problems of adults who work with young children in preschools, day care centers, and other child care settings. Presents a model characterizing possible types of relationships between children and adults in these settings and discusses the programmatic implications of each type of relationship. (JMB)

Discusses challenges to early childhood educators in terms of four principles: (1) congruity, (2) knowing the learner's understanding of what is to be learned, (3) timing, and (4) sociointellectual ambience. (BE/JH)

Suggests that early childhood teachers should eliminate boring, repetitive activities from their curriculum and engage students' minds in activities that stimulate thinking and reasoning. Instead of making paper snowflakes, for example, children might discuss and examine the characteristics of snow, study weather, and engage in other creative…

On looking back at Head Start and other early childhood program plans, it is felt that several false assumptions have been made, the most obvious being the idea that poor children are understimulated; another is that poor children can be stereotyped, although there are relationships between poverty and health problems and language development. The…