Jessica Liddell, Mother Earth's Children's Charter School

This week my international contact, Jessica Liddell, a Kindergarten teacher and special education coordinator at Mother Earth's Children's Charter School in Stony Plain, AB, Canada, posed her responses to the questions posted.  

What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work?

Our province is currently undergoing major revisions in our education model and a shift is occurring in how programs are being delivered.  There are several large initiatives and projects being rolled out right now and two in particular will have major implications on our early childhood programs.  One project - "Action on Inclusion" is focusing on how students with special needs are supported in regular classrooms including how funding is distributed, how special services are accessed, how teachers are trained to support exceptional learners, etc.  There is both excitement and some anxiety as the details for this unfold.  There has also been an Early Childhood Development Mapping Initiative that is about midway through it's five year roll out.  This promises to reveal insights into regions of the province and where students are at developmentally (Socially, emotionally, physically, readiness skills for school, etc.) during their Kindergarten year.  Reporting from other countries as well as other provinces in Canada that are already using this data collection method reveals some pretty interesting statistics so I am excited to learn more as we move further into the project in our area.  On a more localized level, our school regularly faces challenges regarding perceptions about ECS programs.  In Alberta, Kindergarten is not mandatory and we still have many families that are not fully committed to the value of regular attendance.

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

Our school staff have participated in many PD opportunities addressing our major school focuses for the year.  We have begun to utilize Martha Kaufeldt's brain based and thematic approaches in our planning as well as a new literacy model and so that has been where most PD has occurred.  I love having opportunities to learn from others and so I have been supported in visiting other exemplary Kindergarten classes each year.  I am still quite new to the profession - this is my fourth year however my university training was not in early childhood but actually special education and so I have much to learn about working with the littles!  There are some amazing opportunities for professional development available, and I feel fortunate to work for a school board that is quite committed to supporting my participation in opportunities that I feel would enhance my skill set.

What are some of your professional goals?

As a non-native person working in an Indigenous charter school, I am committed to learning about and understanding the culture and the history of the population I am working with. 
Our school strives to recognize the gifts and talents of students in a holistic sense and so in addition to working at building relationships with students and their families that will support nurturing of those gifts and talents, I also strive to build my toolkit of strategies and practices so that I can create learning opportunities that are meaningful and appropriate for the individuals I work with.

What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenges?

The reality of the students that I work with in some cases is very tragic.  There are some circumstances that these 4 and 5 year olds are in that I cannot begin to imagine how they remain resilient and hopeful.  I HOPE that I provide a safe and caring place for them to feel special and loved,  I DREAM that these amazing children will forever see themselves as capable learners and will become incredible leaders,  I am often CHALLENGED by not enough hours in the day.

I hope this is helpful and if you have the time I would be interested to hear more about your program and your responses to these topics.
Thanks - Jessica

After doing some research, I found that Martha Kaufeldt presents motivational presentations and dynamic workshops throughout the U.S. and Canada that address the fundamentals of Brain Compatible Learning, Differentiated Instruction and Integrated Curriculum for all grade level staff (Kaufeldt, 2005). I think this is a terrific addition for a program's educators as part of professional development. I also enjoyed reading that the professional goals of their program is to recognize the gifts and talents of students in a holistic sense, build relationships with students and their families that will support nurturing of those gifts and talents, and incorporate more of the natural and indigenous environment and history into their curriculum as a way of enriching the lives and education of each child. 

Jessica's personal goals provided a connection to my own personal experiences as a new member of the early childhood field. We both are reaching out in our positions to learn about these young children, to take on positive and hands-on participation in enriching the lives of each child we serve, and grow as a professional in the early childhood education community.

References
Kaudfeldt, Martha. (2005). Begin with the Brain. Retrieved from http://www.beginwiththebrain.com/index.php