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with this perception of my field, I sought to travel a road that would reframe the image of
the early childhood educator. Along the newly formed path I took, I encountered many
others. In order to be open to this experience, I had to let go of ego to reach the centre of
the labyrinth and the top of the mountain (Artress, 1994). I learned that I am a social
constructivist. I learned that I need others to develop. From this vantage point, I could let
go of a focus on self and open myself to hear the voices of others. As Maslow (1968)
suggests, self-actualization is a place where ego is transcended. I can honestly and
humbly say that where I now find myself is in a self-actualizing position. It is with this
fuller view that I feel I am engaged in an authentic practice, a genuine teaching and
learning experience.
It is not my story that I want to rise from the pages of this dissertation, but the
stories of the case study participants. Theirs are the voices of early childhood educators
who have toiled with contextual constraints, yet all have reached a place of selfactualization
where they are open to change and transformation. Emergent curriculum is
empowering for an emerging field and its corresponding developing practitioners. As
both the field and the educator proceed in tandem, each keeps pace with the other in order
to reach an elevated status. Letting go of images that suggest silence and competition
between colleagues, early childhood educators can express voice and collaborate. It is not
a time for ego attachment. Accepting conflict as provocation for collaboration and change
will allow teachers to proudly see themselves in full view from the top of a mountain.
Relinquishing complete control of the curriculum and sharing it with others is to
accept new images of children and their families. Accepting these new images will help
to shape the self-image of teachers. Teachers will find themselves within a social