Aretha Knew Best.
Building R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Through Professional Practice
Early Educators have one of the most important jobs in the world, yet they're often not given the respect they deserve. How do we share the importance of the early years and let others know what we know? How do we professionally let parents and families know that we are the experts? How do we elevate our professional status? How do we stay in this wonderful field without burning out? Let's try to answer these questions and build a more professional early childhood workforce in the process!
Who are Two Pushy Dames?
Two Pushy Dames (LeeAnn & Kathy)
LeeAnn and Kathy are two Boston girls who have been in the early childhood field for a wicked long time. Both of them hold Master’s degrees in early education and have experience working in public, private, Head Start, and family child care settings.
Most importantly, they’ve managed to parent a combined five kids who have survived (thrived, really) to adulthood in spite of having mothers who tested all of their theories on their unsuspecting children.
LeeAnn and Kathy teach courses at both community college and university settings and take pleasure in victimizing their students with their hilarity, sarcasm and, of course, deep knowledge of young children.
Just like children who go through different developmental stages, Kathy and LeeAnn are at a stage in life – it’s called ‘over 50 and pissed off’ – where they aren’t afraid to say what they feel about important issues, particularly those that affect young children. Standards, assessments and high-stakes testing are now the spotlight of most schooling and it is being pushed down to younger and younger children. It’s developmentally inappropriate. It’s harmful. It’s wrong. It’s bullshit. It’s creating a generation of kids who hate school.