A Few Words

About Why

"If we steal thoughts from the moderns, it will be cried down as plagiarism; if from the ancients, it will cried up as erudition." - Reverend Charles Caleb Colton (1820)

I'm an Early Years Educator, Mum, Researcher and Academic Gypsy

I followed my son into his Scottish Early Years provision in June 2009, when I volunteered to be Chair of my local Playgroup. It was struggling with numbers and that year we only had three parents on the committee and the number of children starting was very low. I was now responsible for the day to day organisation and management of the setting, including recruitment of staff, business administration and resource acquisition. Shortly after I took the helm of something I knew nothing about, I took voluntary severance from my job as a Post-Doc Researcher. I started volunteering as a nursery practitioner and self funded a SVQ3 in Childcare Learning and Development. I was fascinated, I had discovered a whole new world.

Ten years have passed quickly, I became a Director of the national charity Early Years Scotland with a focus on policy, I achieved my M.Ed in Childhood Practice at Glasgow University, became Manager of the now Community Nursery, set up my own business developing online training, principally working with a local training centre in Scotland, our nursery was awarded 'Group of the Year' and we had an Excellent inspection from HMIe, by now our nursery had a waiting list! Then I moved to England and completed a PGCE. I now work as a class teacher in a local nursery school. I have recently completed the Level 3 Forest School's Leader qualification and the NASENCo award.

Why CreateThis Page?

I have had many jobs/careers; including, but not limited to: Tomato picker, care assistant, computer sales advisor, shop assistant, student, scientific researcher, supervisor, mentor, nursery practitioner, secondary science teacher, business owner, qualifications coordinator, e-Learning developer and nursery school class teacher.

The career which generates the most passion and the most vitriol (on social media at least) is most definitely the latter. This page is my way of sorting through the opinion, bias, practice and pedagogy to find what works for me; not for anyone else, but you are most welcome to use it if it works for you too.

Cite your sources and as far as possible research facts. Fake news is as prevalent in the Early Years as it is in the media.

Whatever your preferred pedagogy i.e. Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Steiner, Froebel etc. your practice can only ever be inspired by it. It is not 'it'. The circumstances which led to their creation are not yours. If Maria Montessori had worked in your present day setting, her practice would have been very different.

Blowing out someone else's candle does not make your's shine brighter. It is also essentially bullying.

WRITING IN CAPITALS does not give your opinion greater validity

Just because someone has shared an Instagram image of an inspirational quote, does not mean that it is based on peer reviewed published evidence. Check the facts!

Just because someone does not share your opinion does not make them wrong.

If you have got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. Play nice.

"The problem with today's world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it.

The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!"

- Professor Brian Cox