Notes from the Conference - Part 2

Dr. Eugene Garcia (Arizona St. University) provided the keynote address on Friday morning of the conference. He related a story concerning a young Hispanic girl being “renamed” by a teacher upon entering school because the young girl’s name was too difficult for the teacher to pronounce. The young girl accepted the name along with the discomfort of having it. This story was interesting to me because I heard a similar story while living in Africa in 1992-1994. In Kenya I was told that Africans children were “renamed” by missionaries as part of the entrance requirements for missionary schools. I guess one can call this process “re-culturing.”

Another interesting point at the conference surfaced at the Children’s Rally Luncheon. The speaker, Cathy Powers (Early Childhood Association of FL Vice President of Public Policy), indicated a plan for childcare providers to have bachelor degrees. One attendee was highly offended by the idea and remarked so. From the force of the attendee’s comments I understand her discomfort.

When I taught the CDA certification course at a local college I realized that a significant number of childcare workers had weak academic skills. Being forced to attend college courses was frustrating. I got the impression that being a childcare worker and being able to teach basic skills to children was comfortable and perhaps even an escape from higher academic pursuits, in some cases.

I understand the need to have highly knowledgeable caregivers. To assume that such caregivers, however, need to have a college degree is faulty logic. A college degree would be less efficient, I believe, than a childcare specialist certificate in early childhood education. I think having skills to transition students from a home environment to a school environment in a positive manner is more useful in childcare than the ability to teach academic skills to young students.