Liberation Learning

I believe that all persons are born sacred; individual human life is sacred. I also believe that each person is born equally sacred – without distinction and without condition. I do not make or take these statements lightly, and I struggle to reflect the meaning of the statements in my daily work as an early childhood educator.  This is not always an easy thing to do, but I try nonetheless.

As sacred beings, all persons are born equally worthy of unconditional respect. I also believe that sacred persons – all persons of all ages – should be treated not only with respect, but also with reverence and in love.  I am therefore obligated to treat children and adults with respect, in dignity, and with total and complete reverence for the unique person that each and every person is. This is an obligation I struggle with daily, and that I hope to live up to, no matter how difficult or how often I fail to act in accordance this aspiration.

My cultural work in child care and early childhood education is intended to reflect what I believe, including how I demonstrate respect for children’s power. There is no respect in taking power from others. There is no dignity in the imposed condition of powerlessness over others. This is why it troubles me to see the numerous ways in which power is taken from people of all ages, and especially, but not exclusively, to see the ways that power is taken from children while in care.

Now that I am once again working with young children as a child care worker, I am reminded of the many ways in which children’s powerlessness, or the perceived right of adults to take power from children, is taken for granted. I see it in many details of early education practice and in the many contradictions of early education theory. I also see it in how early childhood educators are treated by others, in how our work is not respected in part because children are not respected.

I understand that children are young and are novices in many of the tasks and responsibilities of community life. But the fact that children are  novice community members is no excuse for taking away children’s power to act as they are currently able. We should respect children’s power to make all choices that may be carried out without harming the well-being or safety of the child or others. I believe that we should restrict our control over children’s lives only insofar as such control is required to support the well-being and safety of children.

This does not take anything away from adults in terms of our role as both caregivers and teachers. Adults care for children and should continue to do this because caring reflects the values of respect, dignity and sacred life. And we share culture, ideas, knowledge, viewpoints, stories, experiences and other learnings with each other, regardless of the age of the learner, for these same reasons. Respecting the power of the child to exercise agency and make choices does not limit the capacity of the child to learn, nor should it restrict others from assuming the role of teacher in working with children and supporting children’s learning and development. Giving up unnecessary control over children doesn’t necessarily mean giving up influence in guiding children to be positive contributors to community life.

Participation and inclusion in community life should be voluntary. Invitations to community should be welcoming and based on willing entry, nobody should be brought in through coercive means. The community life to which children are welcomed should be something people of all ages will actually want to be part of. If children don’t want in, or want out, then we should first question our community values, and not only question the decision of the child to resist or decline entry.  Rather than force children into a society, we should direct our intentions, resources and values at creating spaces that people of all ages want to be part of, such as spaces where all people are safe and supported, and are loved and cared for as members of a community of dignity.