RUNNING HEAD: PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW 1

Professional Interview

Interviewee: Jennifer Segerman

Interviewed on February 1st, 2018

jsegerman@suquamish.nsn.us

Suquamish Early Learning Center

Poulsbo, WA 98370

Megan Grable

Brandman University

ECED 300

Spring, 2019

Chris Becerra

February 6th, 2019

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Abstract

Through an interview with an Early Childhood Professional, we will look at the different

aspects of the field, including what constitutes professionalism, what knowledge, skills and

dispositions an educator must have, as well what does Ethics in Early Childhood Education look

like.
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Interview Questions

1. How long have you worked in the field of Early Childhood Education?

2. Do you think that Early Childhood education is a profession?

3. What value do you feel an early childhood educator must have to be successful?

4. What advice would you give to someone who is new to the field?

5. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of the job? What is the most rewarding?

6. ECE is an ever-changing field with new research about what is best practice coming out

consistently, how to adapt to your practices to meet these new standards of care?

7. What do you think is the right way to work through an ethical dilemma? Can you give an

example?

Interview Transcript

1. How long have you worked in the field of Early Childhood Education?

I started in the preschool program in 2007. My degree is in K-8 education and I was actually

hired here at the ELC to be a kindergarten teacher, but the plans to open a kindergarten

room fell through so I began as a head start teacher for several years, and then became an

early head start teacher and now I oversee the preschool programs here at the ELC,

including Head Start, ECEAP and our other preschool classroom.

Follow-up question. So, your degree isn’t in ECE?

No, It’s not. I actually had to go back and get my CDA a few years ago so that I could work in an

early head start room. I sort of fell into ECE but I can’t imagine going back to the

elementary school system now.

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2. Do you think that early childhood education is a profession?

What do you mean by profession?

(I explain as best I can what is in “Professionalism in ECE” on page 24.)

In a way. We obviously aren’t there yet on some of the stricter requirements for education and

certifications, as much as I’d like to see that. But for the most part, I think that those of us

in the field do the job as professionally as we can. That’s not to say there aren’t a few

people who shouldn’t be here but most teachers are here because they feel like what they

do is just as important as any other teachers. I think the big challenge right now is getting

everyone else to see us that way. I once had a parent ask me in May after I had met with

her several times to set goals and talk about her child’s progress when school was going

to start. So yeah, there are some parents who still look at what we do is just babysitting

until they get off work.

3. What value do you feel an early childhood educator must have to be successful?

Gosh, I think it’s important for a teacher to value consistency for one. This field has such a high

rate of burn out it can be challenging for teachers to always be here, but having a sense of

trying to be consistent as possible with the kids and with the teachers in their lives is so

important. Also, I think it’s important for teachers to know that sometimes, we are the

one stable thing in a child’s life. Especially in a program like ours, if we are able to be

there and support a child through the tough times they are having, it can make a huge

difference.

An understanding of child development is another. At times I see teachers who assume a child is

capable of understanding a concept that they can’t understand yet. And children learn at
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different speeds. Not everyone is going to be potty trained at the same time. Not everyone

will be able to write their name at the same time, and that’s okay.

4. What advice would you give to someone who is new to the field?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I started, I put diapers on backward for a week because I

didn’t know how. But not just about little things. It can be really challenging to work with

kids, and it’s okay to ask for someone to take over for a few minutes so you can take a

breather. Also, don’t say anything to a child you can’t follow through with. Good or bad

comments, children remember this. Like I said before, be consistent. I think it’s crucial to

understand what children are going through and to understand what expectations you

should have of them.

And the tabs go in the front.

5. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of the job? What is the most rewarding?

Challenging? Definitely classroom management. I don’t think that’s something that can ever be

completely mastered. Challenging behaviors and classroom management are at the top. I

think working to form a good baseline of classroom management is key to get the

behaviors under control. But in a way the challenging behavior are also one of my

favorites, seeing a child who has struggled to positively interact with other be successful

for the first time is an amazing feeling.

6. ECE is an ever-changing field with new research about what is best practice coming out

consistently, how to adapt to your practices to meet these new standards of care?

Read a lot of the new literature coming out, I think networking with other professionals. We get

to meet other tribal education managers on occasion, and getting a chance to talk with
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them about the strategies they are using in the field is very helpful. I’m also following

along with the latest legislation in Olympia on early education. I think the key is being

open to new ideas always, not becoming stagnant in one way of thinking and doing

things. Years ago, every classroom needed to have a strict circle time that lasted 20

minutes or more. Now we are starting to understand that that kind of learning model

won’t work for everyone.

7. What do you think is the right way to work through an ethical dilemma? Can you give an

example?

Those come up a lot, don’t they? I don’t think you can go wrong by going by the mantra to try

and do what is best for the children at all times. Sometimes that can be hard to figure out.

I think the key is to understand the rationale behind a situation and to look at it from as

many angles as possible. Is something going on because of misinformation? Once, while

I was working with a family to create goals for the child to work on, I had a parent ask

me if I could get their child to read books. At the time this child was just starting to

identify the letter in her own name. I had to explain to the mom the steps before their

daughter could read. That one was fairly easy, but at times there are dilemmas where

there is no easy answer, parents who don’t want their child to go outside when they have

a runny nose. Teachers who think “time-out” is a good form of guidance. I think these

can be helped by making sure that everyone is looking out for the best interest of the

child.
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Introduction to Interview

I interviewed the Education and Disabilities manager at my school, Jennifer Segerman. She

oversees the preschool-aged programs in the center including two head start classrooms, a state-

funded preschool program known as ECEAP or Early Childhood Education Assistance Program, as

well as a privately funded preschool program for the children in the community who are not

categorically eligible for Head Start or ECEAP. I chose to interview Jennifer because she has been a

leader in the education field at our center.

The interview was actually done in two parts because we kept getting interrupted by staff

needing to talk with Jennifer regarding classroom issues. We share an office so this is a common

occurrence.
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Connections and Reflections

Early Childhood as a Profession

While speaking with Jennifer the first aspect that struck me was the correlation that she made

between how while early childhood education isn’t a viewed as a profession the same was that

other levels of education are, that she was hopeful that someday it would be. She commented,

“most teachers are here because they feel like what they do is just as important as any other

teachers.” (Segerman) I think this is something that is echoed in the book, Professionalism in

Early Childhood Education by Stephanie Feeney. She shares how “The field of ECE meets the

criterion of unselfish dedication-altruism- admirably.” (Feeney, p. 25) Many educators are in the

field because they feel a calling towards it, it is still one of the lowest paid jobs when looking at

standards, and we have far to go to get public perceptions to change towards viewing ECE as a

legitime career choice. In an article in the International Electronic Journal of Elementary

Education, Debra Harwood and Stephanie Tukonic pose the question of perceptions on early

childhood educators to six different teachers in the field. They found that many early childhood

educators were still perceived as babysitters, in spite of all the specific understanding that an

early childhood educator must have to do their job effectively, certification processes and degree

programs are hard to come by. “the historical roots that conceptualized early childhood education

as a caring vocation, perceptions of professionalism of the workforce have been fraught with

tension.” (Harwood, Tukonic, p. 592) with some researchers speculating that the field being

primarily women has led to it being slower to be recognized as a profession.

Through this, I think the key to learning how to become more of a profession is to increase the

qualifications and standards set upon educators. While it will be a challenge to require teachers
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to get more education, it is key to meeting the set of criteria of a profession. By obtaining my

degree I will be able to share my specific set of knowledge. This will help me become a better

educator as highlighted in Feeney’s work, “…higher levels of teacher education results in better

quality and greater gains in children’s cognitive and social development.” (Feeney, p.19)

Through more education, I can urge more teacher to pursue their academic goals as well and we

can raise the level of professionalism in the field.

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Required for Early Childhood Educators

The more obvious dispositions that are frequently cited when describing an early

childhood educator are exhibited in Jennifer. She is warm, patient, and attentive. I was surprised

and appreciated her view on what values an educator should have. The need for consistency in

the classroom was the one that stood out to me. Whether it be consistency in rules being

implemented or consistency in being a stable adult in a child’s life. “I think it’s important for

teachers to know that sometimes, we are the one stable thing in a child’s life.” The need for a

child to have consistency is deeply embedded in developmentally appropriate practices and

outlines in the NAEYC code of ethics.

A firm knowledge of child development and appropriate practices are crucial. The

example that Jennifer brings up about the recent research regarding the efficacy of teacher-led

large group time or circle time is one that is being discussed with concerns about a myriad of

aspects of the time. She comments, “Now we are starting to understand that that kind of learning

model won’t work for everyone.” (Segerman) In an article in The Elementary School Journal,

postgraduate fellows from Temple University, Andres Bustamante, Annemarie Hindman, Carly

Champagne, and Barbara Wasik investigated the efficacy of circle time and whether it can lead

to a decrease in instructional quality, with an activity commonly used to start the day in
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preschool classrooms that may be straining children’s attention spans in the absence of engaging

instruction.” (Bustamante, et. al) It is crucial for an educator to try and stay current with the

newest research and information to become a quality educator. Through this class, I plan on

learning as much of the new research and how to implement it in the classroom.

Ethics in ECE

Prior to this interview, I have had several conversations with Jennifer regarding ethical

dilemmas that occur in our center. She shares that when a dilemma comes up that, “I don’t think

you can go wrong by going by the mantra to try and do what is best for the children at all times.”

(Segerman) with that line, she outlined how she balances her own set of ethics with what needs

be occurring with the children.

In an academic journal article from the Early Education Journal, Stacey French-Lee and

Caitlin McMunn Doole conducted a study researching understanding of ethics in new teachers in

the ECE field, they found that the participating teachers did not have a firm understanding of

what is ethical conduct and will often rely upon the school’s policies and procedures to guide

them, at the end of the study they found, “teachers’ ability to distinguish and reason through

ethical decisions is an important part of their professional development.” (French-Lee, McMunn

Dole, p.383)This shows that the idea of ethics should be revisited, and discussed often so that

everyone has a firm understanding of what is the right choice for children.

Conclusion

Through this interview with Jennifer Segerman, the different aspects of being a professional in

the Early Childhood Education field was reinforced. The need for stricter certifications for the

educators was emphasized. The different attributes of being an educator such as patience and
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consistency were outlined as well as a need for a firm knowledge of child development. Having

a firm code of ethics, whether it is through the NAEYC or the center wide policies and ethics

code is paramount. The need for these to be revisited and kept on top of for all professionals.
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References

Bustamante, A. S., Hindman, A. H., Champagne, C. R., & Wasik, B. A. (2018). Circle Time Revisited:

How Do Preschool Classrooms Use This Part of the Day? The Elementary School Journal,

118(4), 610-631. doi:10.1086/697473

Feeney, S. (2012). Professionalism in early childhood education: Doing our best for young children.

Boston: Pearson.

French-Lee, S., & Dooley, C. M. (2014). An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Ethical Beliefs Among

Early Childhood Teachers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 43(5), 377-384.

doi:10.1007/s10643-014-0659-0

Harwood, D., & Tukonic, S. (2017). Babysitter or professional? Perceptions of professionalism narrated

by Ontario early childhood educators. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education,

8(4), 589-600. Retrieved from https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/134/131.

Segerman, J. (2019, February 1). Personal Interview