Wise Practices of Experienced Early Childhood Educators

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 10:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Ecology of Early Childhood (Table 3)

Abstract

Now is the time to elevate the voices of preschool/prekindergarten educators. By capturing distinct voices and perspectives of these educators, we aim to celebrate and learn from the wisdom of their lived experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of veteran preschool/prekindergarten teachers in depth to gather and share their stories. We selected a multiple case narrative approach to build a shared understanding of the experiences of these veteran teachers. We used purposive sampling to identify participants for this study. The following themes emerged from the interview analysis (1) authentic family relationships, (2) concurrent individual child and classroom community belonging and (3) flexible curricula.

Authors

• Kevin McGowan, Bridgewater State University

• Leah Schoenberg Muccio, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

• Lea Ann Christenson, Towson University