Early Years Teacher, academic and writer Emma Davis says ‘remembering our why’ can help us to hold on to our pedagogy and practice in challenging times.

6 min read

Emma Davis is an early years teacher, academic and writer. Here she shares how remembering our why can help us to pause, step back and hold onto what is important in our work with young children in the early years.

Remembering your why

Working in Early Years can be both incredibly rewarding but also challenging at times.  It’s easy to get swept up in administration, routines and the endless to do lists. All of these things can impact on the time we have to step back and consider why we do what we do.  This can be problematic as remembering our why is a way to ground us, bring us back to reality and engage in critical reflective thinking and discussion.

What does it mean?

Being reminded to consider your ‘why’ can be seen as a reflective approach to the role, including practice and provision. It will be something personal to you as well as incorporating the professional culture and ethos of the setting.  Our ‘why’, quite simply, refers to the values and pedagogical approach that underpins your practice.  It is a way of holding in mind what is important, thinking about the purpose and meaning behind everything which influences the setting and children.  Consider why you do things the way you do, not just because you’re required to meet requirements and regulations, but to think more deeply.

• Why do you build positive relationships with families?
• Why do you ensure children have a wide range of exciting, engaging experiences?
• How are your values reflected in your interactions?

Yes, you have a responsibility to provide an environment which enables children to thrive and meet their potential.  However, in Early Years, it’s more than a case of doing so just because we have to.  We want to make a difference to the lives of children and their families and this reason is our purpose and motivation.  This is our ‘why’.

Our ‘why’ develops over time and is influenced by factors which include our knowledge and our own personal and professional experiences, including that of our education.  It can also be influenced by our opinions of childhood, the influence of the media and changeable circumstances in our lives.  Just as our pedagogical approach can shift and evolve, so can our ‘why’.  We can nurture this within the team by coming together to critically discuss our practices, reflecting on what works, what can be developed and the values which underpin the ethos.  Additionally, it is beneficial to be open to furthering our knowledge and experience and this can be achieved by engaging in professional development.  This can be informal, as well as formal certificated courses, and might consist of reading books, blogs or journal articles, listening to podcasts or attending webinars or conferences. As we acquire knowledge, it can inspire us to question, challenge and be curious. Not just that, but as we come to learn new ways of thinking, this can influence our ‘why’.  It can help us link our pedagogy to theory, have our ‘why’ backed up with research and further acknowledge our purpose.

Why is it important?

Knowing our ‘why’, or purpose, informs our entire pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.  It will influence the experiences we offer the children, policies and procedures, our relationships with families and the wider community, the environment we facilitate, routines, transitions and the curriculum.  Our approaches to these aspects of our role can often be visible, such as through your interactions with children or colleagues – in this way, the ‘why’ is evident in our actions.  As we become more confident, it becomes easier to verbalise our purpose, whether this is to colleagues, in professional networks or to an Ofsted inspector.

Having an understanding of our purpose in Early Years can help us focus on what we want to achieve for the children attending the setting as well as the families we engage with. It inspires us to be the best we can be, motivating educators to reflect on their teaching style and how it sits with their ‘why’.  When we know who we are as an Early Years educator, what we believe in and how to achieve this in our role, it empowers us to keep the child in mind, putting them at the centre of our practice.  Part of this involves seeing the environment through the eyes of the child, considering what it is like for each child to attend the setting.  We should ask ourselves whether all children can see themselves represented, knowing that this impacts on their confidence, self esteem and feelings of belonging.  This requires us to be reflective on our environment from our books and small world provision to role play area and foods we serve.

A further advantage to having a clear purpose is in having the freedom to develop your own pedagogical approach which can be incredibly empowering.  You’ll come to know what you value and how this links to your practice.  Furthermore, it is useful in helping you navigate the myriad of social media posts featuring picture perfect play and learning environments.  Sometimes, these can be overwhelming, making us question why our own practice doesn’t look as impressive as that of others.  However, we need to remember that it’s not as easy as simply seeing an idea and replicating it in your own setting as there are complex factors involved.  For a start, an image does not give us the full information about the play – what was the intent, the implementation and the impact?  Those educators who are confident in their purpose and ‘why’ will understand that the experiences we offer children need to be purposeful and meaningful, rather than simply reproducing something we’ve spotted on Pinterest.

Finally…

Wellbeing is a current buzzword in education – and that’s a good thing!  This links well to this blog as we know that what we do in Early Years can often be undervalued.  The sector is well known for being underpaid with a low status and at times this will inevitably be demoralising.  However, when we know our purpose, this can be a motivating factor as we are brought back to why we do what we do.  During challenging times as a setting, it’s valuable to come together as a staff team and engage in critical discussions which reflect on our inspiration.  Sometimes we just need to ground ourselves and consider the positives which make us realise why we are so passionate and committed in Early Years.  This might be when a child achieves something for the first time, a thankful comment from a parent, seeing children fully immersed in play or sharing in a moment of awe and wonder.

Knowing your ‘why’ helps develop yourself as an educator and brings sense to your way of being.  It’s important to recognise that this can take time but engaging in reflective practice can help you to understand your values and the influence these have as a professional.  It’s a way of making you see why you are a valuable part of the sector, having a lifelong impact on the children you work with.