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became bored with the approach of planning curriculum based on overriding weeklong
themes. I knew that there was something more to teaching and learning. At the time, I
was experiencing cognitive dissonance. “Deep understanding occurs when the presence
of new information prompts the emergence or enhancement of cognitive structures that
enable us to rethink our prior ideas” (Brooks & Brooks, 1999, p. 15).
I was increasingly uncomfortable with what I had once believed to be an
acceptable approach when children displayed disinterest in a particular theme. It was not
during the theme activities that I could see learning taking place. It was during play,
when the children themselves were faced with cognitive dissonance, realizing that in
order to build a bridge from blocks, a foundational structure was needed.
As the children in my care began to develop more abstract thought, my own
development coincided with theirs. I started to ask questions and reconsider choices. I
was seeking alternatives and deliberating. I can now see the correlation with my own
development. Child development is considered a life-long process characterized by stages
or developmental milestones (Santrock, 2001). Teacher development is also a long-term
progression or journey in which the teacher must pass from novice undergraduate to inservice
practitioner (Katz, 1972). To become a teacher is to accept a process of education
that is “guided by educational values, personal needs, and by a variety of beliefs or
generalizations that the teacher holds to be true” (Eisner, 1994, p. 154). As beliefs and
truths change, pedagogy is constructed and self-image is influenced.
While trained in child development, I was unaware of my own developmental
needs as a teacher. I continued to be a wondering soul constrained by contextual factors,
lost in the labyrinth. “If we do get lost, one of two things can happen: we either return to