Barbara's State House testimony at the Massachusetts Early Childhood Educators Union (MECEU) hearing
November 25th, 2013
My name is Barbara Madeloni and I am here from the Massachusetts Society of Professors and Educators for a Democratic Union, a progressive caucus within the Massachusetts Teachers Association. I come to speak in support of H/477 and S/223.
As an educator, I know that teaching is intellectually, emotionally and, often, physically demanding work. As a teacher educator, I am privy to the complexities of learning to teach, of watching new educators as they learn to see and respond to a room full of children, attending to individual strengths and needs, while also attending to the classroom community, the demands of curriculum, and the processing of administrative duties. We all know important this work is; we often miss just how complex and nuanced it is.
But when I consider the work of early childhood educators, working with such young children, introducing them to the larger world, and attending to their emotional, psychological, social and cognitive development, I am in awe of the skills and knowledge needed to do this work. My sister is an early childhood educator. I never tire of listening to her describe the work of her classroom, the ways she listens to the children, teaches them to listen to each other, asks questions, and inspires in them a deep sense of their abilities and promise. My sister is also part of unionized staff, where her voice and those of her colleagues are central to decisions about professional development, working conditions, and the practices which most support the children’s learning and development.
For a country that purports to care about children, it always confounds me that we don't seem to understand that in order to care about our children, we must provide for, support, and listen to the people who teach and raise our children. In creating the mechanism for early childhood educators to have collective voice in improving their working conditions, extending their knowledge, and accessing the resources needed to accomplish their work, this bill will provide evidence in action that the citizens of the commonwealth care for our children—all of them. Everyone in this room knows we need more funding. A collective voice will allow us to obtain it.
November 25th, 2013
My name is Barbara Madeloni and I am here from the Massachusetts Society of Professors and Educators for a Democratic Union, a progressive caucus within the Massachusetts Teachers Association. I come to speak in support of H/477 and S/223.
As an educator, I know that teaching is intellectually, emotionally and, often, physically demanding work. As a teacher educator, I am privy to the complexities of learning to teach, of watching new educators as they learn to see and respond to a room full of children, attending to individual strengths and needs, while also attending to the classroom community, the demands of curriculum, and the processing of administrative duties. We all know important this work is; we often miss just how complex and nuanced it is.
But when I consider the work of early childhood educators, working with such young children, introducing them to the larger world, and attending to their emotional, psychological, social and cognitive development, I am in awe of the skills and knowledge needed to do this work. My sister is an early childhood educator. I never tire of listening to her describe the work of her classroom, the ways she listens to the children, teaches them to listen to each other, asks questions, and inspires in them a deep sense of their abilities and promise. My sister is also part of unionized staff, where her voice and those of her colleagues are central to decisions about professional development, working conditions, and the practices which most support the children’s learning and development.
For a country that purports to care about children, it always confounds me that we don't seem to understand that in order to care about our children, we must provide for, support, and listen to the people who teach and raise our children. In creating the mechanism for early childhood educators to have collective voice in improving their working conditions, extending their knowledge, and accessing the resources needed to accomplish their work, this bill will provide evidence in action that the citizens of the commonwealth care for our children—all of them. Everyone in this room knows we need more funding. A collective voice will allow us to obtain it.
