It is no secret that the further you take your education, the better you will fare in your career. There are a multitude of reasons that someone would want to get a Master’s degree in early childhood education. Preschool children learn in a much different way than other age groups, so this is one area of specialty that requires particular focus.1. Greater level of education:Of course, that one seems obvious, considering that a Master’s is a higher degree than an associate or a bachelor’s. However, one of the reasons that an educator would choose to go into a Master’s program is that there is a more inclusive course-load. Graduate level degree programs in early childhood education will delve more deeply into child psychology, family engagement and other aspects.Pursuing Master’s in early childhood education will also help you to continue to learn more techniques for dealing with the career specific situations you may find yourself faced with, on all stages of your career.2. Broader range of career prospects:Supervisory jobs that you may want to work your way into will require a graduate degree. It is also the next logical step towards furthering your educational career if you want to grow. There will be career options in areas even outside of education, such as social work.Other options may include deeper government work, such as working with educational policy and more. Associates degrees and Bachelors degrees are great first steps and they certainly can be an excellent place to hold your career. However, if you are interested in growing and furthering your career, a Master’s is definitely the way to go.3. Flexibility:This degree not only broadens your career prospects, it can also make a vast difference in what you are able to do with those prospects. For many, it can mean branching out into other areas of early childhood education specialty, such as special education or working with larger groups of children, or working in an administrative capacity.Additionally, with competition in the education fields growing more all the time, having this degree will give you a wider variety of choices, as opposed to those contemporaries that may not have such an extensive education.4. Greater Salary Range:According to the US Department of Labor, those with an associates or bachelors can expect to bring in anywhere from $23,000 to $40,000 per year. However, those with a Master’s degree may be able to expect to see an annual salary of often, greater than $60,000. Because this is a specialty, there are usually incentives in place. You won’t typically see those incentives in private education; however, public education does often have a salary ladder that indicates a graduate degree will improve your yearly salary.5. Greater Level of knowledge To Hand Down:One of the most frequently cited benefits for obtaining a Master’s in early childhood education is that the teacher can then pass that level of learning down to their students. By gaining a more in-depth education in a variety of areas, an educator who furthers their education can then expect to be able to pass both the knowledge but the techniques on to the students.Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. The only condition is that the links should be clickable.
Education in Theory and Perspective
What is the meaning of education?Webster defines education as the process of educating or teaching. Educate is further defined as “to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of…” Thus, from these definitions, we might assume that the purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of students.It is also defined in Oxford that education is the knowledge, abilities, and the development of character and mental powers that are resulted from intellectual, moral, and physical trainings. So, it can be said that someone who already got education will have additional knowledge, abilities and change in character and mental power.While in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, it is stated that:
Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed wisdom. Education has as one of its fundamental aspects the imparting of culture from generation to generation (see socialization). Education means ‘to draw out’, facilitating realization of self-potential and latent talents of an individual. It is an application of pedagogy, a body of theoretical and applied research relating to teaching and learning and draws on many disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, computer science, linguistics, neuro-science, sociology and anthropology.From the quotation above, it is assumed that education does not merely transfer knowledge or skill, but more specifically it trains people to have positive judgment and well-developed wisdom, better characters and mental powers. Through education, someone will be able to search through their natural talent and self-potential, empower them and finally will result in gaining their self-esteem and better life.The history of education according to Dieter Lenzen, president of the Freie Universität Berlin 1994 “began either millions of years ago or at the end of 1770”. Education as a science cannot be separated from the educational traditions that existed before. Education was the natural response of early civilizations to the struggle of surviving and thriving as a culture. Adults trained the young of their society in the knowledge and skills they would need to master and eventually pass on.The education of an individual human begins since he was born and continues throughout his life. Even, some people believe that education begins even before birth, as evidenced by some parents’ playing music or reading to the baby in the womb to hope it will influence the child’s development. For some, the struggles and triumphs of daily life provide far more instruction than does formal. Family members may have a profound educational effect – often more profound than they realize – though family teaching may function very informally.Education: the purpose, function and in practiceTheorists have made a distinction between the purpose of education and the functions of education. A purpose is the fundamental goal of the process-an end to be achieved, while Functions are other outcomes that may occur as a natural result of the process- byproducts or consequences of schooling. To elaborate these terms, it can be seen in reality that some teachers believe that the transfer of knowledge from teacher to students is the main purpose of education, while the transfer of knowledge from school to the real world or the application of what has been transferred is something that happens naturally as a consequence of possessing that knowledge; it is called a function of education.Here are some quotations taking from The Meaning of Education:
“The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life-by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. The training he needs is theoretical, i.e., conceptual. He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and he has to be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort” ~Ayn Rand”The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think-rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men.” ~Bill BeattieFrom the above information it can be said that the purpose of education is to prepare the students to be able to face their life by facilitating them to develop their mind and equip them with “hard skill” and “soft skill” to deal with reality. As the result of this education, they themselves will be able to think, to understand, to integrate and to prove their ability.Talking about the purpose of education, there are some overviews about it. There are different outlooks between autocratic and democratic regarding education. It is quite clear that each type of world outlook demands its consistent type of education. The autocratic wants the education in the purpose of making docile followers. So, that is why they prefer a type of education whose purpose is to build docility and obedience. In the other hand, Democracy is different from them. Democracy wishes all people to be able and willing to judge wisely for themselves. The democratic will seek a type of education whose purpose is to build responsible, thinking, public-spirited citizenship in all people.This is also different for the authoritarian society. For them, it is just enough for the leaders to know what they want without thinking about what their people want. It is quite in contrary to what a democratic society wants. For the democracy society, the leaders and the most important – the large majority of the people must see clearly the aims/purpose of the type of education they have. In other words, in a democracy it is essential that the leaders and people have clear philosophy of life and a clear philosophy of education.
Are The Elected Officials Aware Of The Wide Range Of Important Education Issues?
Public education is one of the most important institutions in our country, an institution in which the public has always played a role. It is the public who elects school board members, pays taxes to support public schools, votes for school bond referendum, and visits and volunteers in the schools. Public schools, in turn, transmit important values and information that help young people participate in our democracy and become responsible citizens. Clearly, education is important to all members of society given its impact on the community, the economy, jobs, safety, and health.- The skill level of the population increases national productivity and leads to higher salaries.- The better educated a person, the more likely that person is to report being in excellent or very good health.- The more education a person has, the more likely that person is to be registered to vote and to actually vote.- There is a strong relationship between the drop-out rate and crime among many young malesMany candidates are vocal about their support for public education, but voters can do a lot to ensure that elected officials are aware of the wide range of important education issues, and that they honor their commitment to education. This voter guide is designed to help voters focus on important education issues and ask political candidates and office holders informed questions.Strong Public Education Candidates:- Know about school reform and ways to improve public schools- Know education policy; the federal, state, and local laws that govern public education; and the responsibilities of the desired office- Make education a high priority in their political platform- Solicit opinions and viewpoints from citizens through polling, town meetings, community conversations, and face-to-face discussions- Have prior experience with public education policy- Have a clear message about public education priorities- Have a realistic funding plan to support public education improvements and ensure adequate resources for all schools- Communicate who will be held accountable for student and school performanceQuestions for CandidatesA quality public education requires the assurance of basic physical needs: shelter, nutrition, physical safety, sleep, and exercise. Quality education begins at an early age with the development of cognitive and social skills. A candidate who supports education will have a clear position on a wide range of health and other children’s issues.- What proposals, if any, do you offer for public programs to support underserved children?- What is your position on the value and importance of education?- What are your top priorities for improving public education?How well students achieve is only partly determined by students themselves. Schools play an important role, and elected officials at every level have some say in how schools are run and who is held responsible for student achievement. Strong education candidates understand the role their offices play in public education, and should be able to articulate what they will do to improve school quality.- Who do you think should be responsible for ensuring that public schools operate effectively and children achieve?- If elected, what responsibility and authority would you have for public education?- What do you believe are the best ways to evaluate school and student performance?- How would you evaluate teacher quality?Most candidates for office support quality and improvement in public education, but their proposals for how to pay for public education vary widely. A strong education candidate should have developed a viable plan for school funding.- What are your views on how much is spent on public education and whether this amount is adequate?- What changes, if any, would you make to the existing education funding structure?- What is your position on current pending court cases that would affect funding for education in the state?- What programs and areas do you consider most vital and deserving of the highest protection from budget cuts?- How would you fund the program and policy changes you are proposing?- Do you have any tax proposals to offer for public school funding?- Do you support generating funds for public education through taxes on liquor, tobacco, lotteries, casino gambling, slot machines, or through any other “sin” taxes or revenues?- What is your position on bilingual education?- Do you believe the amount spent for students classified as “special needs” is adequate? What changes would you make, if any, to support these students?- What is your stance on school choice?- What is your stance on the adequacy of school facilities?About This GuideThis guide presents a list of questions that highlight the most pressing concerns and issues in education today. Public education is a leading issue in American politics. The information in this guide will inform voters about important education issues, and help voters determine a candidate’s stance on public education. There are many possible answers to the questions raised in this guide. No single answer is “correct”. The questions help identify the education decisions candidates will have to make if elected, and encourage voters to make ballot selections based on which candidates they believe have the strongest public education agenda. In the upcoming 2020 national election, voters will elect a president, vice president, 435 members of the US House of Representatives, and 35 US senators. In state elections, voters will elect governors, state house and senate members, and countless mayors, regents, city council members, boards of supervisors, county officials, and school board trustees.Who Should Use This Guide?Everyone! A free, public education is one of America’s most vital assets. Every member of society has an investment in a quality public school system. Good schools lead to strong economies, better jobs, less crime, and many other positive social outcomes. Education is an important responsibility for elected officials at all levels, and thus an important area to consider in every election. From the President of the United States to local school board members, making decisions about education is a critical part of the job. We hope this guide helps you make informed decisions about which candidates to support.