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However, she is concerned by the image others have. “People don’t understand
that children are beginning their education with us. We should be valued but
unfortunately we are not valued. We are not paid enough.” Compared to the kindergarten
teachers with whom she shares space, Rose does not feel herself as lesser than them. “I
can see the handouts, you know follow the lines. The teachers will tell the children that
they are colouring outside the lines and that Mommy is not going to like it.” Rose feels
that the practice of the kindergarten teachers is regimented. “This is what we have to get
done and the children follow.” In comparison “we are a lot more open. We allow them to
learn at their own pace. We allow them to learn what they are interested in.” Instead of
taking an inferior posture, Rose presents herself as an equal partner and feels that the
kindergarten teachers “respect us.”
Metaphor of teaching.
Rose sees the teacher as “being like the sun with the ground as the community
and the flower as the child. Without the sun, the flower would not bloom. Without the
soil, the flower would not grow. The metaphor states an ecological perspective that
acknowledges relationships. The teacher’s role in this representation is essential as the
sun which permeates the warmth that generates growth and development.
At Rose’s centre, efforts are made to ensure positive relationships with all the
community partners, including school personnel and parents. The recognition of
community goes beyond the neighbourhood to a broader context. The children are active
partners in the clothing and toy drives for communities in need of support which has
generated the attention of the local media, native Canadian leaders and politicians.