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constructivism framework and accountable for learning. Sharing control with children
does not mean letting children take over; it is not entirely a child-centred curriculum.
Moving from a romanticized child-centred view of early childhood education to one that
involves teacher direction does not imply a didactic pedagogy. Emergent curriculum
involves leading a child to new levels of thinking, scaffolding across the zone of
proximal development. Integrating this theory into practice will positively impact the
self-image of the teacher. The teacher has a defined and accountable role. This role can
be empowering. My own story and the stories of the four teachers in my study,
individually and as a group, depict the empowering potential of emergent curriculum.
Emergent curriculum is pedagogy of infinite empowering possibilities. As I now
stand on the peak of the mountain, I see the past, the present, and the future. In the past,
there was a woman whose voice was tentative, whose spirit was broken, and who felt
powerless. In the present, there is a woman who wants to be heard and wants the voices
of others to resonate alongside hers. In the future, it is the voice of all early childhood
educators that will be heard. By coming forth and speaking, we will change the world for
children and teachers. And by embracing the transformational possibilities inherent in a
curriculum that emerges, the field of early childhood education can emerge from the
shadows of the valley and assume its rightful place on the peak of the mountain.