Final Version May 5 07

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Current practices.
When Felicia moved from the hospital-based child care program committed to the
exploration of emergent curriculum to a new centre in an affluent and established
neighbourhood, it was to pilot emergent curriculum in the senior kindergarten room.
When she was solicited to work at this centre, it was the understanding that her role was
to serve as the demonstration classroom for emergent curriculum at the centre. It was not
a curriculum that parents had previous experience with. The interest in emergent
curriculum had come from a particular teacher and was supported by the Director.
The centre was moving towards emergent curriculum before Felicia was hired.
The other teacher had agreed to pilot an emergent curriculum classroom. With parents
informed and the process begun, that teacher decided to leave. When Felicia arrived, it
became apparent that the program was “more eclectic than emergent.” Felicia described
her predecessor as “still using a lot of worksheets, still using Jolly Phonics® and the
parents weren’t really sure what was going on.” Some parents were apprehensive and
since their children were destined for private schools they wanted an academic focus. The
Director had approved emergent curriculum as an experiment, a pilot study. At the time
of the interview, the pilot study had been going on for three years. Felicia felt the
pressure of being “the guinea pig” and the only teacher implementing emergent
curriculum instead of a theme approach.
With a number of successful projects completed including the construction
project, the response of the parents and the other teachers had improved. The Director of
the program encouraged the continuation of the pilot classroom but did not insist that
other teachers follow suit. The teachers in the other classrooms at the centre continued to
use themes, worksheets, and cutouts. The program was employing conflicting