Final Version May 5 07

236
Feeling valued and supported in their efforts to implement an emergent curriculum did
not negate the surfacing of their feelings of inadequacy. Layla related that she is
sometimes “embarrassed to say that I am an early childhood educator.” At times when
talking to others, she has only alluded to working in education and avoided labeling
herself as an early childhood educator. When she had to confess and say she was an early
childhood educator, she recalls thinking “oh well, there goes any level of respect.”
Felicia described how emergent curriculum has, to a certain degree, positively
changed her self-image. She now relishes telling others the stories of classroom projects.
She feels that she has often received genuine interest and respect from others not in the
field. However, for Felicia the remnants of a negative self-image still surface and she
describes times when “I am at a swanky affair I find myself unknowingly stuttering”
when responding to the question, “What do you do?” Given the lack of respect and value
that the participants perceive others have towards the field, why did these four individuals
become early childhood educators?
Comparisons to kindergarten teachers.
Rose, Mary, Felicia, and Layla each felt that they should be able to receive the
same benefits as kindergarten teachers in the school system. Although they perceived
their work as of equal value, it was their perception that kindergarten teachers did not
generally share this perspective. The dynamic between kindergarten and early childhood
educators was seen as uneven with the balance of power held by the teachers with more
status. Layla’s recollection of her interaction with a primary school teacher is especially
poignant. As she told the focus group, the encounter occurred while she was creating a