The Passion Which Led Me All the Way to Early Childhood Education
Here is my story
I am originally from Iran and a city called Shiraz (well-known for its flora and fauna, wine, poetry and ancient monuments). I have 20+ years of experience working with young children and preschoolers. I hold a Master's degree in English and as an avid book lover I investigated children's understanding of children's books for my Master of Arts in 2011. I chose the Harry Potter Novel Series to find out about children's preferences regarding translated (described) or non-translated proper names. A proper name as Marchak and Hall (2022) define, refers to an object as: an identity without describing it. The findings of this research revealed that children prefer non-translated proper names and not the described/translated ones.
My journey in the early years studies continued after I came to Canada in 2015. Being drawn to children’s world, I delved more into the Early Childhood Education field. I obtained my Early Childhood Education certificate, Infant & Toddler certificate, and a Certificate Registered with the Ministry of Children and Family Development from BC ECE Registry. Furthermore, as a firm believer in lifelong learning, I decided to pursue my Master of Early Childhood Education at UBC. Over the past two and a half years, through ongoing reflections, my point of view on early learning and care during this MEd program has shifted and grew stronger. For example, my visions in early childhood education for sustainability switched from child-centred approaches (which rely on children's knowledge and consider the world as passive around the child awaiting for children's actions) to children’s involvement in human and non-human relations (Weldemariam & Wals, 2020). In addition, I grew passion for curriculum and pedagogy in early childhood education as well as working on developing the professional development platform for early childhood educators beside studying and working. Currently, I am honoured to be at the service of families and children by running a multi-age licensed group child care centre I established in 2017.
When not at work, I mostly enjoy spending time with my lovely husband, daughter, and our fluffy pupper; do some self-care, such as walking, photography and swimming; reflect on the documentation, writing and reading with children to deepen my ongoing inquiries of their world, and give back to my community by volunteering with Canadian Red Cross.
References
Marchak, K. A., & Hall, D. G. (2022). Children's understanding of proper names and descriptions. Journal of Child Language, 49(6), 1295-1306. https://doi.org/10.1017/S030500092100060X
Weldemariam, K. & Wals, A. (2020). From autonomous child to a child entangled within an agentic world: Implications for Early Childhood Education for sustainability. In Elliott, S., Arlemalm-Hagsner, E., & Davis, J. (Eds.), Researching Early Childhood Education for Sustainability: Challenging Assumptions and Orthodoxies (pp. 13-24). Routledge.
Home, (Image by Zahra Rahbari, 2022)
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ECE Philosophy
Once upon a time, I was a child myself. As a child, I witnessed abusive behaviour towards other children around me, which always made my little world upside down. The moments that I mostly remember are happy. But what I do recall vividly, is that I wanted to change children's world. I wanted to positively and effectively influence the lives of children, and I wanted them to have a voice and choice. After years of being an ECE, I still continuously reflect on children’s education and care as well as my philosophy as an ECE. Please find a summary of my philosophy below.
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Coursework
Through the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education at UBC, I have had the chance to deepen my understanding of early childhood education by reflection, inquiry and finding answers to my many ponders and wonders (e.g., please check my learning goals). Please find below the list of courses I have completed in the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education Program at the University of British Columbia, Cohort EC20.
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