Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth.
– Helen Caldicott

In Carrie Mesrobian’s article “I Love Teaching: Preschool Pros Share What They Love About the Job,” she explains how Rasmussen University interviewed a number of early care and education professionals, asking them what has kept them in the field for so long.

Here is what Jeanette Lepore, Ana Lau, and Emily Daller shared in the article:

“All three preschool teachers said they love their job because they know their work has lasting, positive effects.

“‘I know that my work has had life-changing impacts on families and children,’ Lepore states. ‘I’ve had parents write letters about how they are a better parent because of my class. And I know other students have benefited from being connected to services they needed at the time, like special education or social workers.’

“Lau also finds great satisfaction in starting young lives out positively. ‘We are the ones who are taking the time to really sit down and teach kids to be human,’ Lau says.

“‘I just really love how every little thing is so exciting to preschoolers,’ Daller says. ‘Finding a potato bug on the playground, making art with leaves. They have so much wonder about everything.'”

The Exchange Essentials article collection, “The Spirit of Teaching,” also speaks to reasons people stay in ECE. It’s a great tool for promoting retention and supporting job satisfaction. Some of the articles include:

• Why Do We Do What We Do? by Ruth A. Wilson
• Joy in Our Relationships with Children, Families, and Each Other by Luis Hernandez
• The Intangibles in the Early Childhood Classroom by Carol B. Hillman
• Spontaneity and the Pursuit of Beautiful Opportunities by Judith Pack
• What It Really Means to Teach a Child by Ellen Fisher-Turk