Career Links Vol 3 No 6 May 2004
Two Who Teach Teachers:
An Interview with Ruth Slesser, Ph.D.,
Chair, Early Childhood Education, and
Sara McElhenny, M.S., Program Director,
Hiersteiner Child Development Center
Interviewed by Kit Gorrell Frankenfield,
Employment Systems Technician,
Career Services Center
The success of the Early Childhood Education Program is dependent upon
two women—Dr. Ruth Slesser and Sara McElhenny. In an effort to give a
true picture of the academic, theoretical and practical aspects of being
an early childhood provider, we decided to interview both Ruth and Sara.
The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program at Johnson County Community
College is committed to improving the quality of life for all children in
the community. This goal is accomplished through partnerships and linkages
with local agencies, promoting developmentally appropriate practice in
accordance with NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young
Children) guidelines, and providing education and training to child care
and education professionals and students. The ECE program disseminates
information about child development, current trends and public policy
issues that impact children and their families in the Johnson County
community. For more information on the Early Childhood Education program
at JCCC, contact Ruth Slesser at (913) 469-8500 Ext. 3724 or by email at
rslesser@jccc.edu. Visit the department website at
http://web.jccc.net/academic/earlychild/index.htm.
Interview with Ruth Slesser:
Career Services Center:
What is your current job at JCCC?
Ruth Slesser:
I am responsible for the direction of the Early Childhood Education (ECE)
Program (Associate of Science degree, one-year certificate, apprenticeship,
and Child Development Associate (CDA) programs). This includes scheduling
classes, selecting and overseeing adjunct professors, reviewing and
updating curriculum and textbooks, advising students, developing new
courses and areas of specialization, developing partnerships with other
ECE agencies, coordinating efforts with the cooperating teachers and
administrators at the Hiersteiner Child Development Center, designing and
monitoring articulation agreements with four-year degree programs,
attending state and local ECE meetings, and many other tasks. Also, I
teach three Early Childhood Education courses every semester and monitor
all labs and internships. One of those classes is the internship
component, so I supervise all the student teachers. In addition, I
participate in several committees at JCCC.
CSC: What other classes do you teach?
RS: I also teach Observing and Interacting with Young Children.
That class requires two hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week.
Students complete the first eight weeks of lab at the Hiersteiner Child
Development Center; the second eight weeks of the semester they complete
their lab at the Olathe Head Start program. It’s a great experience
because they get to work with a diverse population, and a lot of the
youngsters at Olathe Head Start are Spanish-speaking. They get to see how
a Head Start program works and supports families in poverty. Also, I teach
the seminar and the internship classes, which go together. The seminar is a
class that meets every Friday afternoon, providing students a brainstorming
and mentoring process.
CSC: Is an internship required for the program?
RS: It’s required for the Associate of Science program. Like the
other class, students complete eight weeks at the Hiersteiner Child
Development Center and the second eight weeks at the Olathe Head Start.
It’s basically a student teaching experience. They are there 20 hours a
week, and involved in curriculum development, guidance and everything that
a student teacher would do.
CSC: What is your educational background?
RS: I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Psychology from the
University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and my Ph.D. in School Psychology
from the University of Kansas.
CSC: Tell me about your career path.
RS: From 1977 through 1983 I was a school psychologist in several
school districts including Leavenworth, Park Hill and Liberty. I
developed programs in the public schools for children with emotional and
behavior problems, provided direct counseling services to children and
families and consultation to teachers. From Fall 1981 to Fall 1984 I was
an adjunct professor for four local colleges, and in August of 1984 I
joined JCCC as a full-time faculty member teaching Psychology. In 1997, I
developed the Early Childhood Education Associate’s Degree in Science
Program. There were many student and community requests for this program,
and since I had a developmental psychology background, I was the person
chosen to develop it. In 2001, I developed the one-year post secondary
certificate program. I have been the facilitator and a professor in the
Early Childhood Education program since 1998.
CSC: How did you decide to go into the field of psychology?
RS: As a child, I had no interest in anything but playing
outdoors. Growing up in Ontario, Canada, I just wanted to climb trees,
ride my bicycle and ice skate. I had no interest in academics. School
was boring, and the outdoors was so much more appealing. The second day
of school I bit the teacher and ran away. My dad made a deal with me that
if I went to school regularly, I could spend every Thursday with him taking
our animals to the market (we owned a farm). I never went to school on a
Thursday for years. Later in high school, I was asked by a counselor what
I wanted to do. I didn’t know. I just knew I didn’t want to work! I
ended up going to a teachers’ college for one year, and found out it
wasn’t for me. I went to the university and was asked to declare a major
my second year. The counselor said that I had done well in my psychology
classes and I seemed to like people. Why not major in that? So I agreed.
At the end of my Bachelor’s degree, I decided to go for my Master’s at the
same university. After I finished my Master’s degree, I decided to get my
Ph.D. at the University of Kansas in school psychology, one of the few
places you could pursue this in the early 1970s. I did not have an early
plan to become a psychologist but do not have any regrets.
CSC: What options are offered in the Early Childhood Education
program?
RS: There are three programs here at JCCC. There’s a one-year
certificate, an Associate’s Degree of Science, and an apprenticeship
program, which is only for students who are in apprenticeship-sanctioned
centers, which is a federally funded program. They complete the Child
Development Associate credential, which is a professional credential from
our national professional organization. They complete on-the-job hours
and receive tuition support and also an increase in their income when they
leave the apprenticeship.
CSC: What options do students have to transfer after their
associate’s degree?
RS: Over 75 percent of our graduates go on to a Bachelor’s degree.
We have a 2 + 2 agreement with St. Mary College. They can transfer after
two years here and complete their Bachelor’s degree in Child Development
Education there. We also have a 2 + 2 program with Kansas State
University and are developing one with the University of Kansas.
CSC: How many students have completed the program since it began?
RS: Around 45. The majority of students who come into the program
are not completers. These are students who currently work in early
education, and their director has requested that they acquire some college
credit and a little more information about early education. We have around
30 students in the one-year certificate program now, 200 in the
associate’s degree, approximately 400 students altogether. This is a nice
degree to feed into other professions—elementary education, developmental
psychology and counseling, for example.
CSC: Is there anything unique about our Early Childhood Education
program?
RS: Yes. One thing that sets us apart is that there are three
options: the apprenticeship, the one-year certificate, and the
associate’s degree. Another thing is that there are four distinct areas
of specialization: infant/toddler care and education, working with young
children with special needs, school-age programs or administration. The
students take the basic courses, but then can take two courses that
specialize and can lead them in another direction. We offer many evening
and weekend classes, which meet the needs of our students who are
employed. We have several partnerships with community settings for labs.
We have four lab classes and partner with Head Start in Olathe, the Child
Care Center at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Blue Valley School
District, and Olathe School District. The courses are rigorous and
theory-based and practical experiences are very challenging. Our labs are
very well-defined and there is a sequence of experiences students must go
through. Also all of our classes include sections on professionalism,
labor issues, community resources, and establishing family and community
partnerships. We really do look a lot at employee skills.
CSC: What are some of the companies that would employ JCCC students
after they have completed their Associate of Science degree?
RS: Graduates could work at any early education center, whether it
is a franchise, owner-operated, church, hospital, or college-operated
center. In addition, public schools would hire our graduates as a
para-educator. Head Start, Parks and Recreation, Infant and Toddler
Services and even the YMCA or YWCA are places our students can work. There
are over 300 child care settings in Johnson County, so there are lots of
jobs.
CSC: What tips do you have for students entering the field of Early
Childhood Education?
RS: Before beginning an Early Childhood Education degree program
you should ask yourself the following questions, write down the answers
and discuss them with someone you know who works in the field:
- What do I know about the profession (required education, required teacher characteristics, typical day, and salary)?
- Why do I want to be an early education teacher? What are my professional goals and how will I achieve them?
- What early experiences have formed the foundation for my decision?
- Do I have the necessary prerequisite skills to be successful (good oral and written communication skills, good work related skills)? What are they?
- What are my personal and professional strengths and areas that need improvement? What avenues are available to obtain support for my areas needing improvement?
- What values do I hold and how will they influence my work with young children and their families? Do I respect the dignity, worth and uniqueness of each individual? What biases will I bring to my work? Am I willing to confront these and make changes?
- Are my feelings of self-worth strong? Do I like myself? A large part of what you will do involves interactions with and often evaluations by others.
- Am I willing to be a team member (with children, colleagues, family members)? Teamwork takes understanding, dedication and skill.
- What is my personal philosophy of early childhood education?
Secondly, you should observe or work as an aid, in an early education
setting.
CSC: What personal/professional characteristics does a person need
to be successful in this profession?
RS: Successful child care providers need an advanced knowledge in
all areas of child development and guidance, and curriculum design and
implementation. They should have the desire and ability to nurture young
children, and have excellent communication skills. In addition, they
should be dependable, organized, flexible, creative, and responsible; be a
team player, be resourceful, have a sense of humor, be consistent, and
self-directed. Also they should be sensitive to other people’s needs and
feelings, be a good listener, friendly, energetic, and a good problem
solver.
CSC: What about the person who wants to run a day care center in
their home?
RS: You can make a living, but not a lot of money. The higher the
quality of your setting, the less money you’re going to make. High quality
means hiring teachers with education, which means good pay and benefits,
all the resources [needed] in the classrooms, etc. It depends on your
beliefs about early education. Can you provide a quality setting for a
group of young children and make a profit? Sometimes those two things
don’t connect. As quality increases, profit goes down. So for the young
person who says, “I want to run a home childcare,” I ask the question,
“What other financial support will you have?” and “Do you understand the
issue of liability?”
CSC: What improvements have been made in JCCC's child development
center and how do these improvements help students, children and staff in
the program?
RS: We now have five full-time coordinating teachers who are
responsible for the daily experiences in the toddler classrooms, as well
as overseeing the lab students and interns (student teachers). This allows
for consistency in the programming for the children, and in the supervision
of the college students. These teachers coordinate with the degree
facilitator to ensure the very best education experience for the college
students. We now have a college classroom at the Hiersteiner Center.
This allows professors to provide many classroom observation
opportunities.
CSC: Do students enjoy working at our child development
center?
RS: They love it. We call it the “Cadillac of Centers.” Students
call it “the Womb,” because it’s warm and friendly, and they don’t ever
want to leave. When you are looking at all the qualities you consider
best practice, it’s available at our center. But you also have the lead
teachers (who are also called coordinating teachers) who also have
Bachelor’s degrees or are working on their Master’s degree in Early
Childhood Education. They were selected purposefully as lead teachers of
the classroom and coordinators and also to supervise the interns.
CSC: What do you enjoy most about your job?
RS: The interaction with the students is the most positive
experience I have at the college. They challenge me and confirm why I am
in education. I only have a maximum 25 students per semester, which is
quite low. I have an intense relationship with my interns; it’s more of a
mentoring relationship. How many students want to be in class on Friday
afternoons from 2:00 - 4:30? But mine love it. I look forward to Friday
afternoons. We discuss everything they completed in their internship that
week, and we discuss their plans for the next week. We talk about
professionalism, current issues in early childhood education, how to
partner with community, family and agencies; and professional ethics.
It’s everything that you would want to learn if you were in a professional
course. We do a lot of problem solving and brainstorming—it’s a real
sharing and supportive process, and a lot of fun.
The Hiersteiner Child Development Center is licensed by the Kansas State
Department of Health and Environment and accredited by the National Academy
of Early Childhood Programs. The HCDC provides child care and education on
a part- or full-time basis, with a preschool program from 9:00 to 11:30
a.m. For more information on the Hiersteiner Child Development Center,
contact Sara McElhenny at (913) 469-8500 Ext. 3962 or by email at
smcelhen@jccc.net. Visit the department website at
http://www.jccc.net/home/depts/9104.
Interview with Sara McElhenny:
Career Services Center: What is your current job at JCCC?
Sara McElhenny: My current position is program director of the
Hiersteiner Child Development Center, but I’m also adjunct faculty for the
Early Childhood Education program, and teach one class—Administration of
Early Childhood Programs.
CSC: How long have you been the program director here?
SM: It will be 24 years this summer. I started right out of
college. It’s never been dull. We originally started out in one room in
the Commons building. We had a capacity of eighteen children. Then we
expanded to two rooms. Eventually we outgrew that space and built the
existing center. Now we’ve expanded again with the new addition. There’s
never been a time that I’ve been bored.
CSC: What is your educational background?
SM: I received my Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Early
Childhood and Psychology from the University of Kansas. My Master’s
degree is from Emporia State University in Early Childhood Education.
CSC: Did you have an interest in childcare when you were
young?
SM: I always did things with young children. I babysat and the
more kids the merrier. I loved it. I totally enjoyed kids in any
capacity. Child development, early education and working with young
children are what I was born to do. There is no doubt in my mind. I love
every aspect of it.
CSC: What is a typical day like for a child care provider?
SM: First, they greet the children with enthusiasm, warmth and
love. Soon after, you will probably need to change some diapers. Next,
you need to check the lesson plan. You need to evaluate the plan to make
sure it’s still appropriate (for example, is it age-appropriate? Will the
weather affect it? Are any changes necessary? Do we have the enough
materials?)
Hopefully you have a plan that reflects goals that you’ve made for the kids
for that year. Your lesson plan would have kids in a large group doing
something together, like singing or a game, but you also have a time when
kids are divided in smaller groups, like going on a nature hike and
collecting things. Then you might have work time or free play, where they
are in different interest centers, like the block area, and home living
area. Then you look for ways to make those areas become more interesting
and always challenging and more fun throughout the year. It shouldn’t
stagnate and be the same.
At snack time, the focus is on learning about good nutrition and self-help
skills. You eventually want kids to learn to spread their own peanut
butter and pour their own milk. We want to encourage their independence,
help them be excited about life and learning and feel good about
themselves.
The daily routine has a balance of child-initiated versus
teacher-initiated [activities], a balance of restful and active, and some
conflict (so that children have the opportunity to solve problems) versus
harmony. You also want a balance between self-selected activities, small
group activities and large group—doing things all together and feeling the
joy of camaraderie and teamwork. The kids always have an outside time,
unless it’s bitter cold. No day is ever the same. Kids bring variety.
They have different interests every day.
CSC: What’s a typical day like for you as a child care center
administrator?
SM: It usually starts out with replacing a staff member who is
sick. I end up substituting anywhere from 1-3 people first thing.
Usually there is a meeting of some sort on campus [that I need to attend].
Generally the first thing I do after I’ve covered substituting is to go
around and visit every room just to see the tone, what’s going on and how
everybody’s doing. Then I return any messages, and check my email.
Eighty percent of my time is spent with the interaction of adults—staff
and parents, listening, problem solving, and discussing issues. Generally
in the afternoon I look and see how things are going. Some days there is a
facility problem of some kind. Something usually goes wrong that requires
my attention (for example, the toilet overflows, the hot water might not
be working in the kitchen, etc.). I also oversee all of the purchasing and
budgeting. A child care center needs a lot of standard supplies such as
toothpaste, diapers and food.
CSC: What tips do you have for students entering this field?
SM: You need to be patient and you need to really love children.
There is a pervasive lack of understanding because so many people feel
that if they can’t do a number of careers, then surely they could apply to
work at a child care center, because “anybody can do that.” That’s what I
think is a misunderstanding. We get so many applications from people who
have never been around children. I know they need a job, but I don’t
think they realize how important it is to want to be with children. They
need to be around kids enough to know this is what they want to do five
days a week.
You need to know which you want to do, whether you’re going to teach or
direct [a center]. If your goals are set to direct, then think about that
in getting your education. Don’t get into my job without an accounting
class. Now I realize how important it is that I have a knowledge of
budgeting and managing money at the center. If you don’t think ahead
about it, you’re not going to take the right classes.
CSC: How does a student know if they should be a care giver or a
manager?
SM: One way to know is to take a class like the one I teach in
Administration, in which one hour per week of the class is a laboratory.
They go to a whole list of nationally accredited child care centers,
shadow a director for six hours, interview a teacher, and interview an
assistant director. They have different tasks they have to accomplish
that will help them determine if they want to be an administrator. The key
is to do something that gets you out into that field. If you can’t take a
class, get out there and volunteer at a child care center or shadow an
administrator. Do it yourself if you’re not in a class that requires
this.
CSC: What companies could students work for after earning a one-year
certificate?
SM: The one-year certificate qualifies you to be an aid or an
assistant teacher in a child care center, a preschool or a mother’s day
out program—any program for young children. You should be able to assist
in a classroom.
CSC: What qualities do people need to be successful in this
field?
SM: You’ve got to be flexible in this line of work. You’ve got to
pinch hit. If you plan an activity that was supposed to last until 11:00,
but you lose them at 10:55, you suddenly need to fill five minutes.
Second, you need to enjoy music and learning. Third, you need to be a
life-long learner, because you always need to attend in-services. All
providers need 10 hours continuing education units per year. Fourth,
knowledge of child development is crucial in knowing what the kids are
ready for and identifying areas of concern. If you don’t have that
knowledge, you might expect unreasonable things, like expecting a toddler
to share. Finally, teachers need to understand that kids need to feel
important. They need to feel like you want to hear what they have to say,
even if they’re an infant babbling. This is the age where kids are learning
to trust, to speak their first words; they’re learning their whole view of
the world what it means to them, and how they fit in. If they learn from
day one that they can’t trust the world or that they’re not important, it
will impact their attack on kindergarten, even their approach to their
teenage years. If you have those feelings as a youngster, I feel you’ve
really lost a lot.
Also you need the ability to look ahead and anticipate. It’s very
important. Good communication skills are also essential. You have to be
able to interact respectfully with young and old. Whether or not the
parent gains confidence in you as a provider depends on how you interact
with them. You need to be able to communicate what you know and you need
to know a lot. Also, you definitely need to be creative. If you aren’t
creative, how can you encourage creativity in the children? Art, music
and creative movement are all important aspects of the classroom. In
addition, you need to be sensitive to different cultures. If you have a
bias and it shows, it’s going to be difficult. We have a great emphasis
now in hiring people who can speak more than one language. We want
children to be exposed to different languages and know that different
cultures exist.
CSC: Why is flexibility and understanding the individual child
important?
SM: Child care providers need to know each individual child.
Johnny comes to us with a language delay. What are we going to do in our
lesson plan that focuses on encouraging his language skills? Maybe you
know that Suzy is coming in today and we know that her grandmother has
passed away. What are we going to do to support the individual child’s
needs and what do they need at this point in their life? You need to know
what’s normal for the age group and know each individual child well enough
to make your lesson plan and be flexible.
CSC: How has the expansion of the child development center benefited
the children and students?
SM: We originally had five classrooms in this building. We ranged
in age from 18 months through 10 years. We’ve added two new rooms, which
has allowed us to start accepting children at 12 months of age. We now
have seven classrooms. The capacity of the center used to be 80 children;
now it’s 104. It’s a beautiful facility. I love the fact that there’s a
college classroom here that’s dedicated to Early Childhood. It has a demo
kitchen so that you can teach teachers to cook with children. It has helped
our waiting list and provided more jobs for the child care industry—we
hired 14 new people.
CSC: How do you connect teaching young children in the center and
teaching students in the Early Childhood Education program? How are they
similar?
SM: The principles that we have with early childhood learners apply
to every age. I am so convinced that we need to work with the individual
child and the individual student. It’s really no different. You want to
celebrate the college students (and children) and help them feel like life
is worth living, and they’re important. They say to us, “Help me get the
impression that life is worthwhile, that it is exciting, and that I’m
meant to be here.” It’s so important.
