The Pedagogical Disposition
of the Early Childhood Educator
Jade Santos & Lynn Ragasa

Table of Contents
Introduction
Land Acknowledgement
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Thank Yous ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...........................................4
Our Story .…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….............................................5
Conceptual Essay
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10
Inquiry Question
...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15
Inquiry
Staying Within the Lines: Education as a Factory
............................................................................................................................................16
The Relationship Between Ethics and Educators
.............................................................................................................................................32
Educators Encountering the Other
...................................................................................................................................................................48
Possibilities of Education
..................................................................................................................................................................................66
Conclusion

2

Land
Acknowledgement
We want to begin by acknowledging that we work and and play on the
unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories
of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and
Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

3

We want to send our full gratitude for our group of participants who came to every discussion with enthusiasm and curiosity.
Thank you for your collaborative efforts and new insights that have encouraged us to think differently with each other and
the children we work with.
Jacqueline Chen - Software Engineer & Bachelors in Computer Science at Waterloo University
Jenn Dela Torre - Child Care Manager, Early Childhood Educator Diploma, Special Needs & Infant Toddler Certifications
Bianca Go - Early Childhood Educator & Early Childhood and Care Education Student at Capilano University
Rebecca Hansen - Early Childhood Educator & Early Childhood and Care Education Student at Capilano University
Everett Huo - Political Science Student at Penn State University
Lora Jansepar - Early Childhood Educator & Bachelors in Early Childhood and Care Education at Capilano University
Amina Saeed - Early Childhood Educator & Bachelors of Arts in Child and Youth Care at Douglas College
Justin Zhang - Data Analyst & Bachelors in Mathematics at University of California San Diego

4

Our Story
He gets up, slams his hands on the table and walks away. Jade sees the frustration in his face, and she looks at the teacher
who rolls her eyes. Child A has been working on the letters for a while now. The teacher walks up to him and implies that he
must finish this first before he plays. He starts yelling and doesn’t listen to the teacher and begins to disrupt the other
children in the classroom. The educator raises their voice, forcing him to look her in the eyes, insisting that he must listen
and uses the parents as a threat that they would not be happy with this. Jade hears the other educators talk and one says,
“They don’t want to deal with him.” Jade hears in her words the frustration and fear that she holds. That educator has been
working here for a while and now in a prominent leadership role, she hasn’t encountered a child like this. There are many
instances like this where Jade has worked in preschools and kindergarten classes, where developmentally appropriate
practice or what the teacher instructs, dominates the child and is more important before educators get to know the child.
Years later, Jade is back in school and continuing her studies in early childhood education. She learns about the dominant
discourse in education that has shaped the view of educators, their view on themselves and the relationship it impacts with
children. Jade is understanding that our network of relationships is enmeshed with historical theories and practices that
have sustained in education today which have created inequalities and marginalization of who children are. It is time to ask
these political questions like who is the educator and how can the educator relate to the Other, giving them a voice.

5

Lynn worked as team-lead and 3-5 educator working in the early childhood education field. Her fellow educators in the
program persistently expressed their concerns over their day-to-day experiences. As a new year began, a child with extra
support needs joined their centre, and required full-time one-on-one support. The educators took turns being his support
staff, as they found him difficult to “manage” over long periods of time. This child’s needs challenged the educators’
standards and determination, as they were not ones common to the center. For a specific example, the child preferred to
have his meals as he slowly walked around the space, examining his peers and their activities, but he always came back to
the table to feed himself. The educators saw this as problematic, and the reasonings they would give were: It is not safe to
eat while walking! He is going to choke on his food. The other children will copy him. The educators enforced a mealtime
rule that a child who is eating, must be sitting at the lunch table. Lynn acknowledged their safety concerns, yet wondered,
why it was so critical for this child (and the other children) to follow the educators’ standards, especially as these children
were older and were more than capable of feeding themselves. This experience reminded Lynn how the dispositions of the
educator are caught up in fulfilling their duties of directing activities, managing children, and delivering to children the
“correct” knowledge and ways of being.

6

Jade and Lynn became curious about the image of the educator as issues of race, power, and social justice have arose to
the surface in these past few years. We wondered what the role of the educator was in regards to teaching children about
these controversial and challenging topics. We quickly learn about the society’s expectations on educators and how this
influences our role with children. As we have learned in the program, education is a political institution and we wonder what
the perspectives are of educators incorporating politics and ethics in their curriculum and children. We both believe that the
educators’ role in society is much larger than society depicts it to be, as glorified babysitters.
We looked toward the question of “what does it mean to work with ethics and politics as an educator?”
What are ethics in education and why does it matter?
How is ethics approached in education today?

We decided to engage with this inquiry due to our personal experiences working in the field of early childhood education
and have higher hopes for the field of early childhood education, that educators will be the voices for the marginalized, often
silenced and recognize the diversity of children.
During the pandemic, Jade and Lynn, together with eight adults from various backgrounds and experiences from education,
political science, mathematics, and technology, have been coming together virtually to take on the notion of ethics regarding
education, specifically the disposition of the educator.
7

To start our discussions, we worked on a weekly powerpoint presentation of the topics and questions we wanted to bring to
the group and also what the group asked each other. Every week, we set slides in the beginning for a recap of the previous
meetings to reflect and open up emergent topics to talk about and valued our participants engagement with. Many parts of
our presentation included questions, quotes, definitions and scenarios that made us think about the different factors and
relations we have as being ethical and political educators. Below are examples of what our presentations looked like and
how they were able to stimulate and guide conversations.
The group was comfortable in sharing and listening to each other’s responses. We would ask each other questions to
elaborate on our thinking and to share examples and experiences to think about. Half of the group were educators and
others were in other disciplines. It was interesting to have different perspectives from their personal student experiences.

8

This project takes shape through the participants constructing their understandings of various articles presented to them in
regard to the disposition of the educator. It first takes place by unfolding the participants understandings of ethics and how it
can be incorporated in the curriculum of education. We then looked at the dominant structure of education and how it
encourages an efficient and capitalist standpoint, instead of a more relational and meaningful perspective on education that
Dahlberg and Moss (2005) discuss in “Ethics and Politics in Early Childhood Education.” We looked at the image and
expectations of an educator to understand where the participants are coming from and how they see educators.
Jade and Lynn both realised that they could not look at collaboration without acknowledging the Other. The participants
found this idea challenging as they had not encountered this term before, and we spent many conversations unfolding it.
The articles speak upon a different relationship with each other and ethics through the “philosophy of the Other (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005, p.76),” that Emmanuel Levinas proposes on how to respond and be responsible for each other. Levinas speaks
on the “Other” as a human that is not part of the Same, one who we have nothing in common with and does not follow the
status quo (Biesta, 2006; Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). Levinas uses the strong metaphor of “grasping and making the Other
into the Same” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.78) by classifying them into particular subjects that takes away the alterity and
who they are. This is the universal and normative thinking of modernity which emphasizes subjects following society’s status
quo. Although it was challenging for the participants, the collaboratory found a way to create a collective understanding of
the Other for the group.
We read Moss’ (2017) article to see early childhood education in a most post-modern perspective, where the space is open
to all citizens of all backgrounds and experiences. The participants created metaphors for the disposition of the educator,
which gave Jade and Lynn hope for the future of education to change in a way that is meaningful and more relatable to the
times and places we are all situated in. The purpose of this research is to understand how the trajectory of the educator can
be transformed.

9

Conceptual Essay
In today’s society, there is a dominant story on the purpose of education and who the educator should be. The dominant story of
the educator’s disposition brings into specific perspectives on theory and practice that influence the curriculum and relationships
with the children. This relationship involves a particular understanding of making ethical and political decisions for children that
have led to marginalizing differences, diversity and what philosopher Emmanuel Levinas calls it, the Other and otherness (2010a).

Lynn and Jade examine and explore with a group of participants, how the disposition of educators affects ethical and political
decisions with children and how we see those effects in living with each other. We are challenged to think why ethics matter in our
teaching and how educators can approach ethics in a different way where all the children can participate. We look deeper into how
we can shift early childhood education into ethical and political spaces where all stories can be heard.

Working with a reconceptualist and poststructuralist framework, our project looks closely with the ideas of Michel Foucault,
Gert J.J. Biesta, Emmanuel Levinas, Gunilla Dahlberg and Peter Moss. These researchers emphasize the importance in reevaluating and deconstructing dominant discourses, which are ideas and beliefs that have been engrained on to us through society
and institutions, like education. Foucault termed dominant discourses as the ‘regimes of truth’ in that they outline a singular way of
being, thinking, and living in the world (MacNaughton, 2005; Moss, 2019). By looking at education in a post-structuralist perspective
it encourages critical thinking, equity, and social justice in early childhood education (MacNaughton, 2005). It allows us to delve
deeper into the status quos of society in regard to education and our beliefs on what education should look like. These researchers
perspectives have contributed concepts, ideas and values that challenge how we understand differences and diversity, termed by
Levinas as the Other, and how educators can cultivate a practice that is centred in ethics, politics and democracy with the Other.

Their work challenges the belief for the absolute truths of knowledge and that knowledge is produced up of many perspectives 10
(Moss, 2014, p. 93).

This framework presents on reconceptualizing education that resists the
dominant story of technical practice, developmentally appropriate curriculum and
transmitting rational and scientific knowledge as the right answers to be human.
Foucault’s research illustrates that these dominant perspectives are prevalent by

power relations that educators take part in and through self governance and
control of children, they are able to stay within these perspectives. Power is used
to dictate what is believed to be truths in education as the right way and thus as
the right way to be human (Moss, 2019, p.90). Educators use micropractices of
power in normalisation, regulation and exclusion of children. These
micropractices of power privileges a universal knowledge and way of being that
separates children. They are compared, observed and limited by seeing them
through specific standards. The techniques see the child as something to
control, mold and thus determining the future generation (Prout, 2000: 306 cited

in Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 58).

11

Within the dominant story of education, these specific views shape who the
educator and child are. The image of the educator is one that transmits
knowledge, provides the service and applies skills to shape a particular
human. It dictates what is allowed and not allowed to be said and done
(Biesta, 2006, p.14). Biesta critiques who the human is and that there is not
one way to be human (Biesta, 2006). Thinking in this way, closes off the
uniqueness and singularity of the Other and disregards them before they
are able to show who they are (Biesta, 2006). This story reproduces a
particular human. This particular human is not the solution to society’s
economic and social problems that we have seen in today’s world. Instead
of making the Other the same, the question is raised on what if we learned
to live with the Other (Biesta, 2006, p.59). It is through resisting the
dominant discourse, educators can reimage the child and have children
become who they are.

12

Dahlberg and Moss introduce an alternative story to education with a
relationship that welcomes the Other and engages with them. It is one that is held
within care, responsibility, encountering and listening to the Other. (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005). Ethics in this relationship is about taking responsibility for our actions and the
actions we take with the Other (Dahlberg et al., 2013, p.165). This relationship involves
an “ethics of encounter,” a vision from Levinas to think beside the Other and ourselves
to explore our responsibility to each other and that there are potentialities with meeting
the Other (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.165).In order to break free from subjectification,
Biesta emphasizes that humans have their own unique voice that arises with engaging
with each other, especially with those that have nothing in common (2006, p.63).
Through this, educators welcome every child who is different and for them to be their
“unique, singular being” (Biesta, 2006, p.69). This requires a deep and thoughtful

listening to the Other and hearing stories that have not been told. This also means that
in doing so, ethics is a risk and comes with uncertainty and conflict that in turn
provides possibilities to think and be with each other (Moss, 2014, p. 81). It is through
engaging, provision, co-constructing knowledges and collaborative efforts to work with
each other. Furthermore, the relationship includes values of “empathy, compassion
and commitment,” of how we can relate to the Other (Sevenhuijsen, 1998 cited in
Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.74).

13

These main concepts show how the dominant story of education influences
the educator’s image of children that refuses to acknowledge the plurality,
differences and otherness in which the world is made up of. It also shows how the
dominant story is heavily put onto educators to teach a certain way and to
maintain it. Dahlberg and Moss call us to consider an alternative way to approach
education’s purpose and our own as educators. When we begin to resist the
dominant story and welcome and listen to other stories, we are creating spaces of
ethical and political discussions that are needed to become a democratic
community. This alternative story of the educator’s disposition shows ethics is a
vital part in our relationships with the children. Being ethical in the care,
responsibility and encountering with the Other, encompasses what it means to
live well with each other. With a commitment to become aware and discuss
different perspectives, these weekly encounters challenge our knowledge about
education and lead to reimage the educator’s part in participating and creating

spaces that hold ethical and political learning with each other.
14

We are inspired by Dahlberg and Moss’ quotes about the current state of Early Childhood Education that
helps us wonder and reconfigure our roles as Educators.
“The prospect of preschools being sites for producing predefined outcomes, mainly through the
application of technical practices to the efficient governing of children,” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.4).”
“In our view, preschools should be understood as a public good, of great social, cultural and political
importance. They should be viewed as part of that wider network of public provisions that makes society
meaningful and creates possibilities for solidarity and democracy. Rather than competing with each other
within a market, preschools should work together collaboratively (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 29).”

We want to engage how the role of the educator takes part in this process and how we can transform into
something more than just a generalized and assumed role. Someone who can make a change that
moves towards a more relational education that reflects the people, places, and predicaments of its
society. Where multiplicities and alternatives can occur and be welcomed.
So we ask,

“What does it mean for educators to work with ethics and politics?
And how does it transform the purpose of education?”

15

Education as a
Factory: Staying
Within the Lines

16

“Preschools (and other ‘children’s
services’) assume a role of social
regulation, intended to bring technical
fix to bear on the wider societal
consequences of the economic
deregulation demanded by
neoliberalism (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.41).”

In an early discussion, the educators and non-educators
conversate on what the purpose of education is and the
main narratives of how educators play particular roles in
this story, as being knowledge providers and caretakers
of children.

We talk about how this narrative of education as a
factory, derived from Sir Ken Robinson on RSA
Animate’s video, explains the structure of education as a
whole system that is set up to engrain specific
expectations for society, and how education defines
success for the greater society and turns into a
dominant discourse. We examine how knowledge and
power are connected to keep this story being told. We
discuss if there are ways we can tell other narratives
where educators can resist these discourses and why.
17

The Leading Narrative of Education
Hearing the common perception of how success is found, only by
receiving an education, emphasizes society’s habit of maintaining a
singular way of being. These expectations of having an education
are enforced to the point that it controls who we are as individuals.
Amina’s statement coincides with the notion that society has been
socialized to be accustomed to the dominant discourses by
perceiving that this is what it is to be considered normal (Sensoy &
DiAngelo, 2017).
For some of our participants the word “discourse” was a new term.
We termed it for them as “dominant discourses make assumptions
and values invisible, turn subjective perspective and understandings
into apparently objective truths and determine that some things are
self evident and realistic while others are dubious and impractical”
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.17). To help their perspective on the
main and strong ideas in society, we asked several questions about
education, society and the image that it has about children and what
educators do because of this image of children.

(RSA, 2010)

18

We asked the group, what does education say on how a human should be?
What are society’s beliefs that we conform to? Or resist to. Some of their
thoughts included:
Bianca says “Western colonialist ways of being and knowing especially in
the education system where certain knowledges are valued over others”.
Jenn says, “Daycares seen as a service, parents see educators as
babysitters, when we do much more than just watch the children play. We
have gone to school for it and there is much more that we do.”
Lora says, “ Early childhood education is seen as a service.”
We touch upon the connection of the dominant discourse to neoliberalism,
and the capital foundation of early childhood education as a service to best
apply a technical practice on children achieve this predetermined subject
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). This subject “seeks to fix the wider societal
consequences of the economic deregulation (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005,
p.41).”
Education emphasizes a creation in a subject, or student, that is docile,
rational, passive and law-abiding (Biesta, 2006). Students are told not to
question what they are taught, but by doing so it reinforces the cycle of the
dominant truths and knowledges of society, and can lead into excluding
other people, ways of being, and doing.

19

From hearing the participants speak about early childhood
education as a service, we brought forward the concept of
the education system being structured like a factory line,
where the educators are the factory workers, and the
students are the products (Biesta, 2006; Jardine, 2013).
We watch a video titled “RSA ANIMATE: Changing
Education Paradigms” which gave a brief history on the
creation of education and the ways in which it needs to
change.

Amina shares saying, “I really resonated with the part
where he mentions that we think if we do well in school and
get a good job, then you’re set for life. That’s sort of how I
was raised as well, especially since my parents are first
generation immigrants. They came here for better
opportunities for their children and this idea of doing well
in school was forced down your throat or else you
won’t go anywhere in life.”
Lynn replies, “I think a lot of us who are children of first
immigrant parents can relate to that, especially when
you’re the eldest one. There’s this immense pressure on
you to do well so that your parents don’t have to worry
about you. I think this system of education focuses on
getting children to be well-rounded and ready for the world.
And completely ignores any unique abilities they have,
their personalities, any interests they have.”

(RSA, 2010)

20

To think more with our ideas about how they we see
education as a factory, we turn to Michel Foucault and
his research on knowledge and power that help
dominant discourses become prevalent in society.
We watch a video called “Understanding Why
Knowledge is Power - Michel Foucault.” We discuss
how natural it has become for educators to play this role
in the factory because of the application of “techniques
of power” that we use on children (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.16). These practices help normalise, exclude
and separate children. Often, these practices categories
them and oppresses who the children are.
In the next discussions we look more deeply on who the
educator is within this factory and from our own
experiences with educators.
(Waldun, 2018)

21

“All view the teacher as someone who knows the one right answer to every
question, as the privileged voice of authority with a privilege relation to the
meaning of knowledge; and the complementary image of children as receptacles
for the teacher's explanation and transmission of reconstituted and unquestionable
knowledge (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.95)”.

22

Educator as a Stagnant Technician
Education has become a place of economic transaction between the
educator and student, where it is no longer about learning but instead
insisting that educators provide education as a commodity of knowledge
(Biesta, 2006). Jacqueline brings us to the point that “[education’s]
technical approach is diversionary. It focuses attention on parents and
children, whilst distracting attention from the power relations that
create poverty and inequality in the first place (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.42).” It is a system that is competitive and individualistic which is
connected to control (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). Through neoliberalism it
“spreads its values and practices (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 39).”
We see that the dominant discourse of education is perpetuated to
maintain a power imbalance and status quo in society. It is the idea
that the more “correct” knowledge one has, the more powerful they are in
society. We talk about our own power, and how we are influenced
through this power to use on children (governmentality) and are shaped
by social forces, school, family and friends. Dahlberg & Moss (2005)
write that these techniques of powers do not happen by themselves but
work in a system that has prevailed to form the dominant discourses in
education. School retains this purpose of a child that is normalized
through supervision and judgement to be on good behaviour that is set in
education’s beliefs (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005).

23

The dominant image of an educator as a technician has
become this passive factory-line-worker. One who merely
observes children from the sidelines, providing knowledge
and reinforcing dominant ideas, like the importance of
having an education, as they were taught before. However,
children are not just mere objects who learn individually.
Learning and understanding requires multitude of
interpretations from others, including the educator.
Lynn’s younger twin brothers were often left to play with one
another, and from this they were diagnosed with a speech
delay. However, as Lynn understood the education system
and its practices more, she understood that since no adults
actively participated in their conversations, it did not allow
her brothers to learn or hear how others spoke.

Students and children need active teachers who will
participate, question, challenge, and explore with them
especially in times of hardship.
24

From hearing the conversation around how public education is
structured like a factory line, Jacqueline says,
“Public education perpetuates the illusion of fairness in a
capitalist society. It gives the people the idea that public access
to education offers equal opportunities. This is not true. For
example, richer neighbourhoods have better schools as they are
better funded. Public education also allows for the government to
decide the material students learn and what philosophies to instill
into peoples minds. Like the capitalist government can glorify
capitalism and demonize socialism (covertly of course), keeping
its citizens from critiquing the system. We're indoctrinated to
believe the ultimate goal for going to school is to find a job,
and to earn money through that is to be our "dream".
From this, there is one reality that society has set for children to
work and invest back to society. We recognize now that there are
many realities and ways to live in our society. We also recognize
that this intersects with the ideas of the “uncertainties and
opportunities There is not just one way to be successful. What
can be changed in the way society sees each other is care and
consideration towards others that can lead to justice and equality
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.11).”
25

The collaboratory dabbles into how much the education system influences us
subconsciously and if has continued. A bit of a discussion was going on around the
topic of when we form our own opinions and beliefs, and if they change from attending
multiple years of education.
Jacqueline says, “I think it's a lot better in university. Both because professors decide
their own curriculum (i.e. not pre-structured by education board) and because
students are more mature and are better critical thinkers. But at that point, a lot of
their opinions have already been formed by their K-12 schooling years.”
Everett says, “I actually think that opinions aren't formed in K-12, but rather that
we're echoing the opinions of others that have been passed onto us, either
willingly or unwillingly. The formation of our own opinions, I would argue, actually
form in college where we listen to others and are allowed to think more outside of a
"standardized" bubble.”
Jade replies in response to Everett, “A lot of the things that we've known to be true
are actually being unlearned. What you mentioned too is, that there's a lot of stories
and perspectives that we're told and that we have to listen to.”
Lynn adds, “I feel like children learn a lot in their early years from like early childhood
education to elementary school. You learn a lot about yourself and what others like
and don’t like because you’re testing the waters. I think educators are there not to
necessarily guide but conversate with children on what’s going on around them. But
maybe this learning is ongoing like what Jade said, we start to realize that some of the
things we learned early on is not something we completely agree with.”

26

Resisting To Be Constricted Educators
When hearing about when opinions or knowledge is formed for an individual and each participant
was asked, “What does it mean to resist the dominant discourse as educators, which are ways of
“think[ing], talk[ing], and act[ing] as if they represent the incontrovertible truth, as if they only
provide the only valid meaning (Moss, 2019, p.90)” especially when realising how structured the
system is?”
Our comments below show that to acknowledge children for who they are, we have to be able to
reflect on the power we have that controls who and what children should be. These ideas also
show that becoming aware, investigating, questioning and learning into the dominant stories of
education and why these beliefs are still valued in society, we begin to change our perspective
on ourselves, the educators and the relationships with children.
This also entails what the project proposes on inquiring more and learning the underlying beliefs
of our field that intertwines curriculum, society and our relationships with each other.

Amina mentions, “I should be like this - taking a step back, and reciprocity, working through
things, not fighting this child for their power. What your idea of the child should be? If you think
children are less capable, children are blank slates.”
Lora says, “To be aware of the dominant discourses in education and think of ways in which
educators engage with them. The power struggle - knowing what the dominant discourses
are. DAP (developmentally appropriate practice) and engaging with parents; [and understanding]
every child learns and grows differently.”
Jade says, “We're unaware that we have this power to control what we are taught to be right and
we put that control on to others. We have to try to resist the power to normalise and classify
children into one that welcomes what they have to say and who they are.”

27

Emerging Images of the Educator
Education was and is still based on individual emancipation, in that it focuses on the
trajectory of a student from the beginning to end of their education with the
emphasis of teachers being the factory workers to create specific human beings
(Biesta, 2006). Educators have been governed to be a certain way in order to
fit into society’s image. Through subjectification educators shape themselves to
be “a certain kind of subject who will govern herself or himself (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.20).” The dominant image of an educator has constantly been this passive
being who recycles and reiterates knowledge to produce capable citizens of the
future.

This is what we expected to hear from the participants but instead we were very
surprised to hear how postmodern the participants’ image of the educator was. It
went past the dominant discourse of an educator of being passive, authoritative, and
all knowing. Instead it incorporated an educator who was focused around
collaboration, relationships, and being personable; a shift toward an
educational relationship arose which involves trust and responsibility (Biesta, 2006).
By looking and questioning the “familiar, unchallenged, unconsidered modes of
thought [and] practices [that] we accept” (Moss, 2019, p.97) a shift in education can
begin.
By seeing how the participants were moving away from the educator who focuses
on developmental practices and being all knowing, we wondered what was next for
the future of the educator. How will collaborative and personable relationships
impact education and the educator?

28

We were curious to see what the participants would bring as
their images of the educator and asked what values they see
in one.
Lynn says, “I picked the image with the different wheels
because the teacher has different parts and roles they
need to live up to that are all interconnected. Teachers are
not just knowledgeable, but to be a teacher you need all of
these different parts and roles.”
Jenn says, “Teachers are not looking for the answer. I see
educators that are engaging, and listening to the
children.”
Everett says, “My favourite teachers have all been connected
with being super funny, middle-aged people, one of my high
school teachers I had a very positive relationship with him.
All the teachers that I’ve had looked like him and were all
super likeable. They have all looked like that.”
Jacqueline says, “Mine was one of my math profs from
university. She was really eloquent and knowledgeable but
also just incredibly nice and cared for her students.”

29

We talk about our image of the educator and the main perspective that shone
through was the idea of educators being supportive and working in
collaboration with children, families, and their community. The participants
saw an educator who was flexible, supportive, and collaborative; one who
“consider[s] many different perspectives and engag[s] with the complexities
of practice in a spirit of experimentation that is local and respectful (Province
of British Columbia, 2019, p.12).”
Educators can work in relationship with children and other adults as “a
collaborator who creates conditions so that children can invent, investigate,
build theories, and learn” (Province of British Columbia, 2019, p.18). The
participants saw the importance of educators critically thinking about their
practice by engaging in collaboration, dialogue, and listening with others and
their community. “The task before [educators] today is not that of reproducing
the past, but rather that of asking how [educators] should respond
educationally to the questions and challenges that are facing [society] today”
(Biesta, 2006, p.100). Educators who challenge the dominant practices in
education, are taking a risk, to create these spaces where new ways of
being, thinking, and doing can occur. “Rather it is an early childhood
education that is committed to re-building the values of cooperation,
mutuality, democracy and sustainability, and that rather than future-proofing
children to be neoliberal subjects, works with these values to contribute
towards ‘future building’ (Moss, 2017, p.24).”

30

Our Image of the Educator
We were intrigued by our participants’ images of an educator so the question of “What are the expectations of an
educator?” arose.
Bianca says, "Supporting children and families and fostering safe spaces for guiding by example also working in
collaboration! I feel like fostering positive relationships are important too."
Amina says, "Provide wide range of experiences. Helping build start the beginning of empathy and kindness, and help
them walk in the world."
Lora says, "Safe spaces to be themselves to learn from each other. Provide new experiences and a space for children to
be themselves and guide them. To learn from each other, learn with children, children learn with educators, contest and
question ideas and notions.”
Everett says, "Not to teach what is right or wrong. To provide, all viewpoints, have children come to their own conclusion.
It's complicated."
Rebecca says, “Engage in active listening, supporting and collaborating. Bringing awareness to alternative perspectives
and new ways of doing things.”
31

The Relationship
Between Ethics and
Educators

32

“We often associate ethics in making
the correct choice. However, “with
choice comes responsibility. And if
choice is inevitable, responsibility is
unavoidable (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.70).”

Due to our previous discussions the topics of ethics
continually reappeared, the collaboratory decides to dive
into the definition of ethics, to further understand what it
means for each other and within society. We look with
Dahlberg & Moss, about the foundations of Ethics,
called Universal Ethics and its influence in relationships
that educators have.
We then look towards a more post-modern approach to
ethics in understanding that there are more options than
the binaries of right and wrong (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005). It allows the participants to gather together why
ethics is critical in the role of educators.
The participants provide their own metaphors of ethics
and experiences of their own educators making ethical
choices.

33

Universal Ethics Within
Educator’s Relationships
We ask the participants to read a chapter titled, “What
Ethics?” from “Ethics and Politics in Early Childhood
Education,” by Dahlberg & Moss (2005), to examine how
their ideas and beliefs on ethics came to be. We
discover that these ideas and beliefs are heavily
influenced by Universal Ethics in which, the “totality of
rules, norms, principles equally applicable to everyone
and acceptable to every rational thinking person
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.66).” To begin our inquiry
around the idea of an ethical and political educator, we
ask the participants on what they think “ethics” is and
why. The words we discuss first are: morals, feelings,
and rights.

We reflect that ethics includes the individual perspective
on how we treat and are treated by others.

34

What are Ethics?
Bianca says, "Ethics are one's own beliefs and values but ethical practice is
a standard held by a group of people or board. In science, they can choose not
to have studies because of ethical practice because it can cause harm to
somebody. It can be strict, but it can also vary across the board."
Jacqueline says, “Reflections of what is good or bad for individuals in
situations.”
Justin says, “Principles that influence how one acts.”
Everett says, “I’ve always seen it as just the study or idea of what is right and
wrong.”
Jade says, “Ethics guide how we act, and how we relate to each other.”
Rebecca says, “What you feel the right thing to do verses the wrong thing.
It is the boundary of morals and influenced act - based off of your values and
beliefs.”
Ethics in this way are seen as binary. We begin to wonder what does this
mean in relation to the human subject?
How should we think and act? What does it mean to have “good” and “bad”
ethics? We recognize how this way of seeing ethics lies in Universal Ethics.

35

We stem our conversations to reflect on the word rights, as it made us
ponder what is considered rights and that it was discussed there are
assumptions that everyone is able to make these ethical choices. As we
know, choices are guided by beliefs and do not stray away from biases. We
saw that the idea of ethics was quite binary in that there was a consensus in
what is right and wrong.
With these answers, we connect it to Universal Ethics, which focuses on
duties defined by right and wrong that is decided by powerful members of
society (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). Ethics is understood here as the “should”
question: from a normative and universalist perspective, how should we think
and act?,” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.66). These qualities of what is
considered “good” and “bad”, “right” and “wrong,” begin to create a subject
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). In relation to education, it creates a particular view
of the educator and child. We look more into this in the next discussions.
Many of the participants also talk about human rights and laws; that there are
certain laws in society to keep us safe but also that there are a spectrum of
conditions that result in a final consequence for everyone. With Lora’s
response, it shows that right or wrong is more complex than society deems it
to be. Lynn’s perspective made us think that right is an action and thus we all
can do something in ethical and political situations.
Lora says, “Justice - What is fair, what is fair in the situation, how would you
determine what is fair. Human rights, then justice. Not necessarily what's
right or wrong, fairness. responsibility. Action, to act on, act upon.
Democracy - when it comes to rights.”
Jacqueline says, “What a collective society considers individuals should
be allowed to do.”
Lynn: “Right is the ability to do something.”

36

Our conversations shows us how ingrained this discourse is and we decide to unfold ethics
further. We examine these concepts of universal and post-modern ethics. We ask the group to
work with the chapter on understanding together what universal ethics is, how it is intertwined
in the education field, and how the values are believed into creating the particular human.
Bianca’s comments show that in the field, policies are implemented with an end result for all
circumstances of ethical situations. We are learning that that universal ethics approach
doesn’t treat each situation individually but generalizes it. This way of seeing ethics is also
seen with the relationships of education with educators and educators with children. A strong
agency in education make these policies that determine what is right and wrong. The active
technical practice that education enforces are expected of the educator to prescribe these
legislation.
Immanuel Kant, founder of Universal Ethics, viewed that “being a moral person is, almost by
definition, linked to the ability and the authority to exercise rights and fulfil obligations. Moral
dilemmas take the form of conflicts between rights claim” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.67).
When we relate this to educators and students, the ethical relationships is how someone can
do the right actions and expectations balanced with rights and responsibilities (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005).
Bianca says, “A universalistic ethical approach underlies much policy and practice in the early
childhood field. There is a search on for universal codes that will govern practice and
evaluation, “a totality of rules, norms, principles equally applicable to everyone and acceptable
to every rational thinking person” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.66). “These codes take the form
of curricula, goals and targets, standards, quality measures, standardised measures of
assessment” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.67). Why are some universal ethics regulatory
practices like ratios class size or are based on educators judgement. Is there a way to monitor
ethics of care?”

37

With policies and curriculum, we cannot base every child under those
circumstances because each child is going to come with different
experiences, backgrounds, and personalities.
It begins with the qualities of educators like being open, welcoming and
listening.
The conversation continues on in unfolding universal ethics. Lynn prompts us
back to looking at how we choose to make our decisions by not following the
standard rule book that is given out to society in order for individuals to
conform to these expectations, but instead situating ourselves and recognizing
the people and places we are surrounded by (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). Amina
also reminds us that these expectations are placed on everyone in a certain
group and those who fit in it. These dominant ideas are embedded in the
system of Early Childhood Education and are not stopped to be questioned.
Lynn says “These choices we make in the field, and how we choose to
response to what we do matter. Human centeredness makes us selfish and
hyperfocus on ourselves but in reality it affects everything and everyone else.”
Amina says “Universally understanding - where everyone has the same
opinion.”
38

Our discussions on understanding Ethics has left us wondering more about how we can
approach ethics now. We consider that ethics is not linear, that there are many different
factors because we all have different perspectives on how to handle an ethical situation. We
agree that our thinking on ethics comes from our values, beliefs and morals. We take on the
word, “rights,” as a responsibility to take action and that we are our own individual with
differences.

Universal Ethics has been replaced with “order, rules and regulation,” (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.69). Which we have discussed is evident in education today where there are norms
on how children should learn, behave and be. In the chapter Bauman proposes with the idea
that ethics can “involve practice to decide what is best in a concrete situation,” (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005, p.69). Lynn brings up an example where the situation of the person whos steals
because they are hungry, we then can consider what is best for that person in that situation
before sending them to jail instantly without knowing and discussing the context. Rather than
having concluded an ethical situation with one answer that is deemed correct, Bauman
suggests that “we must take responsibility for the choices we make” (quoted in Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005, p.71). This recognizes the agency of each human and that “we are our own
moral agents” without complying to a universal code (Dahlberg & moss, 2005, p.71).
Dilemmas, in it self, “have no ready-made solutions,” and there is no guarantee of the
goodness or intention of the results (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.71). It comes with
uncertainty, risk and needs provision and negotiation (Foucault, Dahlberg & Moss). With this
turn in ethics, we question how can we change our ethical relationships into one that
acknowledges each person and welcomes who they are. Our group explores Postmodern
Ethics with the main philosophies of Joan Tronto, Selma Sevenhuijsen, Emmanuel Levinas,
Zygmunt Bauman, Hannah Arendt, and Jacques Derrida.

39

The question of “How do universal ethics guide us?” arose.

Jacqueline says, “I think thinking about ethics serves a different purpose for the self vs a society. An
individual should think about ethics to be a better person, or to "care" for others, as Tronto said, “a
society should think about ethics to determine "universal ones" which then are applied to create
laws for the society.” I think the individual should think about and come to their own conclusion on
the matter”
Amina says, “There are laws that we have, like not to kill people.”
Bianca replies saying, “There are scenarios where others get to choose if someone dies. For
example for death row inmates, an entire of board of members have to agree if the inmate will get
the death penalty. They won't go through with it if not everyone agrees. So we can see that the
death penalty law is not absolute, it changes based on others deciding.”

Lynn curiously asks, “Can we agree that we see stealing as a bad?”
The participants unanimously agrees.
Lynn continues, “What if someone is stealing food because they have to in order to survive? Is that
considered ethically wrong? What if they have no other choice?”
Bianca replies, “That example makes me question whether that person is supported in other ways
like food from food banks or other resources. Because if the person has other means of getting
food, and still chooses to steal, then I think that's a different story.”
Jade says, “We can’t get away from universal ethics because they are embedded in ethics. Kant’s
universal ethics says there has to be a background of universal ethics in order to move to a more
post-modern perspective of ethics.”

40

The Complex Network of Ethics
We ask our participants to bring or draw an image of ethics based on the
conversations we have been having around universal and postmodern ethics
as explained by Dahlberg and Moss (2005).
It is now clear to us that early childhood education and school settings are
“places of dialogue in which community members discuss, share, and debate
the values they hold about knowledge, education, and how to live well
together in ways that are respectful, local, and meaningful (Province of British
Columbia, 2019, p.12).” Here educators, children, parents, and community
members are able to openly discuss their beliefs or interpretations, and they
are welcomed and encouraged in order for marginalized voices to be heard
to create a more holistic understanding of the community.

Jenn explains why she chose the image with the questions marks and says,
“I think that's just kind of what I see in education today. You're just
pretty much taught, like this is right and this is wrong. There's no gray
area, but then as you get older, you see that there are gray areas.”
This reminds us of how Dahlberg and Moss (2005), explain how in postmodern ethics, we can no longer follow a narrow minded rule book to apply
to all situations. Instead, we must situate ourselves in the places and people
we are surrounded by in order to make an ethical decision.

41

Rebecca’s perspective reflects post-modern ethics in that decisions are made
based on the people and places one is situated in. Post-modern ethics "engage[s]
with particularities and emotions rather than seeking the dispassionate application
of general and abstract principles. They recognize the uncertainty, messiness and
provisionally of decision making (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 69)."
Rebecca creates two images for the question of “what is ethics?” and described
the metaphors that they represented,
“I represented ethics in kind of a little bit of a reciprocal way, in that there is
a choice to water flowers or water plants. You're making that choice to let
them flourish and, and be able to develop into their own and each flower is
unique. So I metaphorically represented the children as flowers, and in our
field as educators we also can learn from them and we can gain from them
as well.
When making ethical decisions, the decisions may look differently. It's all
unpredictable to where it's coming from. It's rooted beneath the surface and
you can't predict what's going to be coming up ethically. The decisions that
you have to make, and then it's kind of the ethics of encounter that we were
reading about, once you encounter it, or once you are faced with something,
it's kind of like the crossroads of the route, then you have to make a
decision.”
42

Importance of Educators Working with Ethics
With the ongoing conversations about ethics, we decide to ask the question, “Why Is Ethics Important
in Education?” The common concept that came from this conversation was the notion of critically
thinking and understanding that there are multiple possibilities. British Columbia’s Early Learning
Framework (2019) explains that critical reflection should take part in education to challenge the dominant
knowledges as a way to discover various understandings and worldviews. By partaking in critical
reflection educators are making ethical decisions in education to acknowledge that some truths are
silenced and kept away from society in order to maintain a status quo. It begins the process of
questioning why certain knowledges are upheld higher than others, and being the voice for the
marginalized.
Justin says, “I think ethics is an important in making sure that learning environments are inclusive and
available to everyone. I also think that teaching ethics is also important, not just for reasons we've
covered it already, but to introduce kids the opposing views of viewpoint and critical thinking.”
Lynn replied to Justin’s perspective and says, “I think that critical thinking is something we often miss
when we talk about education. Because often we are given a problem to solve and sure. Education
encourages critical thinking, but when it comes to ethical situations, we really have to think out of the box
and situate ourselves to make a decision. It says critical thinking, but if they've already given us
ways to solve it in that, it's not really thinking out of the box or looking at a bigger picture of
what's going on.”
Lora says, "Ethics plays an integral role and making decisions requires ethics to take into account when
dealing with situations. So many factors come into play in certain situations and you cannot have
education without ethics as education is political and it requires educators to guide navigate
situations or pedagogical decisions that do not have black and white answers. It helps us shift our
paradigms to critically think."
Jade includes, “Children can learn imposing views because everyone is different. So I really like that
they can co-construct knowledges together.”

43

Educators Making Ethical and Political Decisions
We ask our participants “Can you recall a time where a teacher or educator made
an ethical or political choice?”
There are many stories and recollections of times where a teacher or educator had to
make an ethical/political choice. Jacqueline and Everett have similar experiences
where their teachers allowed them to see both sides of a story or opinion. We saw
this as crucial in allowing students in making their ethical and political choices
regarding topics and what they deem as the truth. “Meaning making and knowledge
construction occur in this relational activity, in a continuous process of formulation
and reformulation, testing and negotiation (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.102).” The
educators in these stories chose to challenge the dominant truths of the world by
providing multiple perspectives in order for students to form a more well-rounded
perspective on a topic or opinion. Education be a space where multiplicities of
knowledge can arise, discussed, and be welcomed (MacNaughton, 2005).
Everett says, “When my high school teachers discussed politics they would
always try to get multiple articles that argued for both sides and allow us to
discuss and form our own opinions instead of getting ones that only supported
one side.”

Jacqueline says, “I think our school district let our teachers choose at least
some of the readings, and one of my English teachers who was a big advocate
for LGBTQ and women's rights would give us ones that discussed issues in
those areas, which I think especially at our age then would greatly influence us
and our ethical/political opinion.”

44

Justin’s memory made us remember that in making ethical choices, there
are responsibilities tied to them. His story catches the collaboratory’s
attention as his teacher made an ethical decision knowing the
insurmountable responsibility he had making the choice to have students
at his house on a weekend. Yet, this teacher stuck with his decision as he
wanted to see his students succeed, and understood he was responsible
for them even more so for making this decision. This type of responsibility
is embedded in Levinas’ ethics of encounter with the Other, in this case
the Other being the students, as “the emphasis is on obligation to the
Other without expectation of a profitable return. Rather than a calculated
relationship of reciprocity, there is an unconditional responsibility
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.29).” Some individuals would say that this
choice was unethical, but we can see that this teacher felt like it was their
responsibility to do more for the students outside of what his job asked for.
Justin shares, “Not sure if this really counts but my AP Euro teacher
in high school hosted mock AP tests in his house on weekend
mornings to help us prepare. He didn't have to do so and wasn't
getting paid for it but he wanted to see us pass and that stuck with
me for a while.”
Lynn replies to Justin’s answer and says, “Your teacher went out of his
way to help his student succeed. I think that he went above and beyond
his job description and shows how much he cares for his students. I feel
like many teachers would have trouble doing this in fear of doing
something wrong or being questioned for doing something suspicious.”

45

The next conversation follows Bauman’s idea of ‘an
ethics of care’ as “ethics as a creative practice, requiring
the making of contextualised ethical decisions, rather
than following universal rules or codes (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005, p.73).” The participants understood that
when making decisions in the field we have to include
“attentiveness (to the needs of others), responsibility,
competence and responsiveness (Dahlberg & Moss,
2005, p.74).”
Amina and Bianca share the importance of seeing and
discussing new perspectives and ideas as educators by
not pushing away what might be different from the status
quo.
Lora’s personal experience examples ‘an ethics of care’
as she reexamines the situation and realises that the
late fee charge does not apply in this setting even
though it is outlined in her centres’ guidelines.

“An ethics of care as ‘a practice
rather than a set of rules or principles
… It involves particular acts of caring
and a “general habit of mind” to care
that should inform all aspects of
moral life.’ [Tronto] defines caring as
‘a species activity that includes
everything that we do to maintain,
continue and repair our “world” so we
can live in it as well as possible’
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.74).”
46

We asked the question of “what do ‘ethics of care’ ask of
us?” and “What does it mean for teachers and educators?”
Amina says, “I think it encourages us to be collaborative by
getting together and talking about how the classroom should
be run. It also allows us to see the differences of opinion.”
Bianca says, “When working in this field, there are many
different scenarios that can happen - and these may not
have been explicitly discussed in class beforehand for
example. There's also a line between collaboration with
educators and caregivers. For example, if there is a child in
danger (maybe at home), then the educator has a
responsibility to report this to child services without first
confronting the caregiver.”
Lora replies saying, “Ethics of care are situationally based
when making decisions by looking at the contextual parts of a
situation. For example a parents car broke down and was
late to pick up his child. At the centre there is a rule is to
charge him if he comes after 5:30 for late fee. I wouldn't
charge him because that situation was out of his control.”
47

Educators
Encountering the
Other

48

“Pedagogy as a relation, a network of
obligation, a radical form of dialogue
with the Other; and institutions for
pedagogical work as sites of
obligation and loci for ethical
practices, whose purpose is not to
make the Other into the same but to
work alongside the Other in a
relationship where neither is the
master and each listens to the
thought of the Other (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2013, p. 43-44).”

The collaboratory spent a while uncovering the Other as
presented by Dahlberg & Moss (2005). The questions
that came up were “What and who is the Other?” The
participants also offered up their own interpretations of
the concept in order to co-create an understanding of it.
Amina shares her personal story of being Othered and
how it becomes part of the curriculum at a centre to how
she discusses her difference with the children.
We read an article titled, ‘Darkside of Daycare’ (Quan,
2018) and begin unfolding where educators must
engage in collaboration, radical dialogue,and a
pedagogy of listening (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). The
collaboratory explains how these concepts are
intertwined with one another when educators and
individuals engage in ethical decisions.

49

Discovering the Other
We begin to discuss the Chapter 3 titled ‘What is Ethics?’ in Ethics and Politics in Early Childhood
Education by Dahlberg & Moss (2005). A conversation arose around the concept of the Other.
Jacqueline asks, “What is ‘the Other’?”

Amina says, “Whenever I saw the word Other, I saw it from a racial lens as people who were not
Caucasian were discriminated against in really awful ways, depending on how far back you go into
history.”
Everett replies, “I didn’t fully understand what Levinas meant by ‘alterity’ is not the same as
‘difference.’”
Justin replies, “My interpretation was [that] alterity means that the other person is fundamentally
different in a way that's beyond their physical traits like skin color and that they're culturally different
in a way that you can never fully understand.”
Lynn says, “I was going to say something similar Justin. In that every individual is unique and
although we can see them and try to understand them, we will never be able to grasp their whole life
stories of where they come from and what makes them this way. It is almost impossible to truly know
someone. I guess an example would be a set of twins, we expect them to be exactly the same.
However, although they may have the same DNA and grew up in the same household, how they
view and perceive the world is very different from one another. We can’t treat them the same, as
they are individuals and I think that’s what Levinas meant by ‘alterity.’”

50

Recognizing Who is the Other?
Jade then asks, “Who is marginalized and oppressed in our
society as the Other?” and “Who is the Other?”
Amina says, “By race, someone different from what society is
used to. Especially in education if you have a physical or
learning disability you are placed in an entirely different program
or class from the rest of the school.”
Lora says, "Someone who is not from the dominant discourse​.”
Justin says, “Cultural differences​.”
Jenn says, “Cultural & race, different view from you because
they are not the “same.’”​
Everett says, “In some extremist wings of cultures, the ‘Other’
tends to be synonymous with ‘enemy.’”
Lynn says, “Those who do not follow society’s dominant ideas or
beliefs.”

51

Encountering the Other
As we elaborate on who the Other is, we start to shift our own ways of being an educator in
relationships that are open to the Other. We take on this idea of “ethics of encounter,” of
Levinas, in which we think to encounter the Other as someone we cannot grasp or know
(Dahlberg & Moss, 2005). Our inquiries show that with certain values that we have discussed,
such as listening and co-constructing, are made possible by engaging with each other. This
important work resists the idea that we know who a person is, in this case the child. That we are
unable to see the child as “contractual and calculable” in our relationships in which education
as a factory sees them as (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.77). Levinas bases his ethics on
“encounter” with the Other on the state of being different and not knowing the Other (Dahlberg
& Moss, 2005). Our group sits with Levinas’ concepts of knowing this Other as a person who is
part of our world and that we can strive to work with them with their differences and diversity.
He heavily contests the totalisation of making the Other into the Same, a common thread that
our group has been discussing of how education tries to make children a certain subject. By
pushing children into becoming the same, we have been getting the same results in society and
in turn not respecting who the child, who the Other is. Foucault is alongside Levinas that the
Other is “pushed aside,” because they are different and “devalued as [Western] cognitive
machinery does its work (quoted in Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.78). No child wants to feel
unworthy for who they are. There is also no right way or wrong way to know the Other. Levinas
adds that there is a responsibility that comes with the encounter to feel inside ourselves a
willing to engage with the Other because we live with them. This relationship turns into one that
is welcoming and responsive to each other.
52

Amina’s Brings Light to the Darkness
The collaboratory explain how complicated making ethical decisions are, especially
when Amina shares her story about talking to children about the colour of her skin
and why she wears a hijab. Educators cannot decide on these decisions alone, it
requires involvement from the individuals they are connected with. This could be
the children, parents, families, community members, and fellow educators. The
participants saw the importance of having these challenging topics embedded into
curriculum as it will allow multiplicities of being to flourish and give children a
comfortable space to wonder, question, and see new perspectives.
Amina shares her personal experience being Othered at a centre, and explains
how it became incorporated into their curriculum.
“At my very first practicum was at this preschool, with three to five-year-olds. On
my first day, I walked into this classroom, and suddenly all the kids are asking all
these questions like, “Why are you brown?” “What's that on your head?”
“Why do you look so different?” Since everyone else in the school was either
Caucasian or Asian, I guess the kids hadn't seen black people before.
At that time it was my very, very first practicum. So I didn't really have a lot of
experience with 16 children asking me about my skin color and the hijab on my
head. So I was really at a loss and I sort of just like brushed their questions aside.
I was like, “I don't know. I don't know how to deal with this.”

53

So I ignored it. But the teachers at that practicum said, “No, this is a really great opportunity to talk about the differences in people
and to talk about our different cultures.” They thought that it would be a really great learning experience for the kids. We did their
whole curriculum that they had planned for that month to focus about human beings in different skin color and different people in the
world and the different cultures we have.
The kids were really, really excited about it. Everybody got to take different things from their culture at home to bring in and talk about
and share. I learned two really, really valuable things.
One of which was, I know now how to explain my skin color to kids.
I say that I am darker because I have more melanin in my skin. When they ask
like what's melanin and I say, “It's like sunscreen for yourself. The more
sunscreen that you have inside of your body, the darker you are, the less
sunscreen you have, the lighter you are, but no matter how much sunscreen you
have in your body, you still have to wear it. It's still very, very important, but that's
just why people are darker and lighter than each other. It doesn't really mean
much.”
To be honest, I don't really have like a good explanation for my hijab quite yet.
It's kind of a tricky thing with kids, the whole concept of God and religion
and Islam. When a child ever comes up to me and asks, “What's that on your
head?” or “Where's your hair?” I say, “This is my hijab. I wear it because I'm
Muslim. If you see other people walking around with hijabs on their head, that
means they're Muslim too.” Usually the next question is, “What is being Muslim?”

54

I usually reply by saying, “That's something you need to ask your parents about.” I still don't really have a good response for
that either. But for when they asked me why I wear a hijab, I'm usually say, “I wear it because I like it. And it makes me
happy.”
My hope with that is that if they decide that they want to wear something that makes them stand out a little bit, they'll
hopefully decide that when they look in the mirror even though it makes them think, “Oh, I don't know if I should wear this.
Maybe people will stare.” They'll decide that, you know what I like it and it makes me happy, so I'm going to wear it.
These conversations are really, are really hard. I will say and simply by walking into the room, I usually spark a lot of
conversation with the kids eventually once they're comfortable enough. I really love that, but I'm not going to say that it is
easy, even though I'm used to it at this point, it's really, really hard.
I think that that's the point. These conversations are not meant to be easy at all. They're meant to be very, very difficult
because these are uncomfortable things to talk about and that sort of the society that we were all raised in. It's really
important for kids to feel comfortable to talk about the differences and other human beings. So that when they grow
up, they understand that these differences are not bad. There's simply differences that make us all very unique. So I try to
keep that in mind, whenever I'm working with kids and they start asking questions, and I hope that all other educators do the
same.”
55

Lynn responds to Amina’s personal experience being Othered and
says, “Thank you for sharing that with us Amina. I admire how
strong you are in sharing that but I also commend the educators
from your practicum for incorporating it into their curriculum when
they saw how intrigued the children were. I just want to ask the
group now, how can educators incorporate these challenging topics
into their curriculum? So that it doesn’t just happen when situations
arise, but where these topics can happen in all aspects of
curriculum.”
Lora says, “Educators should include social justice topics like race
and gender in their curriculum and have these conversations with
the children and families.”
Jade says, “Educators should incorporate a pedagogy of listening
and an ethics of care in order to create those spaces in their
centres to have these topics brought up in curriculum.”
We share a newspaper article with the participants to provide an
example of a situation where an ethical choice was made, and
wonder what their reactions will be towards it. We also wonder in
what ways does the education system need to change in order to
address these challenging topics and situations.

56

Expulsion of the “Othered” Child
We take a look at the newspaper article,”The Dark Side of Daycare,”
by Douglas Quan from the Vancouver Sun. We bring this article to
them to show and examine the realities of the dominant discourse
and how it validates how children should be. There are other factors
and participants that play the role into following these dominant
stories told in education. We question, what could have been done
differently that would support the discussion. We also listen to their
personal experiences of similar situations as a child care manager,
co-worker, and educator.
The article looks at different families who experience expulsion,
accusations and termination from daycares where their child goes to.
The reasons are, “typically due to behavioural issues or special
needs, and how they were offered little or no support after they were
given the boot,” (Quan, 2018). In doing so, families felt “anxious and
vulnerable” (Quan, 2018). This article also says that to even find a
new daycare, there is competition because of the limited spaces.
Childcare services adhere to policies that services can be terminated
for several reasons, including if the child is severely disruptive or
physically threatening to other.

(Quan, 2018)

57

Levinas argues that education assimilates and makes individuals into an autonomous and rational
subject, and if they cannot fit into these universal ideals, they will be treated as the Other (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005). Many of the participants were shocked at the decision that the childcare centre chose to
terminate the family’s contract due to a child’s challenging behaviour. The collaboratory state that
termination would have been the last option they would have looked at in this scenario; some share
their own personal experiences that were similar to the article and saw how different perspectives
were involved like the centre’s, educator’s and parent’s. As when educators encounter the Other,
Levinas explains that it requires respect and responsibility for the Other so that they can be heard just
as loud as the dominant discourses (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005).
Many of the Collaboratory saw that there were other options, routes to take, and wanted to discuss
these alternatives with families. The participants also share that they would have worked with the
family in seeing what would work for the child, family, and educators, in order to understand where the
disconnect between them is. From reading the article and seeing how the participants would look for
other solutions, we ask, “What do we value as educators and adults?”
Justin says, “The importance of education especially for children. We believe that all children should
have access to it.”

Lora adds, “As education is a right, childcare should also be a right.”
Lynn includes, “We value a relationship with the families. I feel like we shouldn’t just give up on a
child if it’s challenging.”
Jade says, “Working in collaboration with those we work with to ensure that they are taken care of.”
Rebecca adds, “I think we want what’s best for every child and are willing to find ways to support
them.”

58

Welcoming Collaborative Ethics
As the word collaboration came up a lot, Amina’s image of
what ethics meant to her resurfaces and she explains by
saying, “I saw ethics like a large cork board where people
would post things on to it. We make ethical decisions based
on what we see around us. We take what we believe is the
right choice and then make our ethical decision that way.
It’s sort of collaborative where everyone leaves things
and take things that they like. Does that make sense?”
Lynn responds saying, “It’s where you make a
collaborative decision based on what the group agrees
on and what the group disagrees on. But again, that’s
going to be a challenging way to get a group decision. The
more people involved the more difficult it is to set
something.”
Jade replies saying, “Your picture reminds me of Dahlberg
and Moss’ idea of encountering with the Other and
having that sense of collaboration like you mentioned.”
59

Based off the discussion from the article titled “The Dark Side of
Daycare” and Amina’s drawing on how ethics involves collaboration;
open communication and dialogue came up in order to understand where
parents and families are coming from and what they are dealing with.
The participants explain how working in collaboration with parents,
families, and children would be the most ethical step when encountering
challenging conversations.
From that Lynn asks, “What does collaboration mean? How do you
interpret that word?”
Rebecca says, “Reciprocally working together, through actions,
perspectives and learnings.”
Lora says, “Listening to each other’s perspectives, and learning from
each other in collaboration.”
Amina says, “Working together to come to an understanding of each
others perspective.”
Jade says, "Working together towards a similar goal."
Jacqueline says, “To develop a sort of ethical culture for the children, one
that is (usually) in harmony with the community's."

60

Acknowledging Each Other In Radical Conversations
The group seemed to agree that collaboration was
necessary when making decisions with others, and that
educators constantly have to make these decisions.
Jade remembers that these collaborations cannot
happen without having conversations, specifically having
radical dialogue.
“Radical dialogue [is] based on listening, as a teacher
you have to participate together with the child, entering a
space together where both teacher and child are actively
listening and trying to construct meaning out of the
situation (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 101).” It becomes a
space where challenging conversations can happen
without judgement and bias to be present. Where the
participants cannot guess what the outcome of the
exchange between individuals will do or present.
61

We then wonder, “What does radical dialogue look like?”
Everett says, “Respect on both sides. Constructive, if you know what you are talking
about. If you manage to have these radical dialogue it is being productive, not just the
lecturer talking to the students. The article likens a "lecture" to "the child seen as a
container to be filled," while I think that radical dialogue is more of where both sides are
kinda mixing drinks together and they both end up at a point where neither side is
what they originally were but rather they absorbed new ideas and came out as a new
‘drink.’”
Jacqueline includes, “Kind of a back and forth. The teacher can recognize what the
student is missing and offer insight, student thinks critically of what they're receiving
from the teacher.”
Rebecca adds, “Teachers not giving them the answer, questioning, asking the questions
back, opening up their dialogue that becomes to discussion, not just a fixed
conversation.”
Lynn says, “It is like having a conversation with 7 friends about where to have dinner. It
requires listening and understanding there will be different opinions to the situation.”
Justin says, “For me radical dialogue is close to a conversation where both sides
interact with the other and there is listening from all parties.”
Jade adds, “Not being afraid of conflict and differences, going through the
uncomfortable situations or else things will stay the same.”

62

The conversation seems to revolve around the notion that in order to have
collaboration in decision making, the individuals involved must have a
radical dialogue in which everyone is heard and the conversation is not
completely guided by a dominant idea or belief. It becomes a space where
everyone is heard, but with the understanding that the discussion may not
come to a consensus as it will be challenging and difficult with multiple
perspectives taking part. It requires listening from all parties as it is not
easy. “It requires a deep awareness, and at the same time a suspension of
our judgements, and above all our prejudices; it requires openness to
change (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.100).”
During these conversations, Jade realizes that in order to have radical
dialogue in education, educators must include a pedagogy of listening in
their practice which is described as "Listening as a metaphor for having the
openness and sensitivity to listen and be listened to – listening not just with
our ears, but with all our senses … Listening as welcoming and being open
to differences, recognising the importance of the other's point of view and
interpretation (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 99).
As children and Others may express themselves in different ways instead of
verbally or through words. Educators have to realize that communication
can happen in many ways. The participants read ‘Towards a pedagogy of
listening’ (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005) and came back to discuss their
understandings, interpretations, and realizations of ‘a pedagogy of listening’.

63

The participants image of the child coincided with a pedagogy of listening in order for children’s and the Other’s opinions to be heard.
Justin responds saying, “In the chapter [referring to Ethics and Politics in Early Childhood Education by Dahlberg & Moss, 2005] they spoke
about children as being capable and I liked this perspective because it also matched with my view on children. If adults could just listen and
see children as people too, I think that would help change how education is. My quote was, “Respect for an absolute Other means a
respect that must precede grasping: the child speaks and is doing, and we have to take what the child says and does seriously (Dahlberg &
Moss, 2005, p.100).” Which is also along the same lines I feel where children should be respected just as children respect adults.”
Lynn replies, “The dominant view on the image of the child was always
seen as this vessel that needed to be filled up with knowledge. It is almost
as if children could not form their own opinions on things without going
through education.”
Jacqueline says, “I liked this line in the text, “To listen means being open to
the Other, recognising the Other as different and trying to listen to the Other
from his or her own position and experience and not treating the Other as
the same (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.100).” I think in this case children are
the Other and educators should honor their differences and different ways
of being.”

Rebecca adds, “I think the pedagogy of listening is reciprocal and an
openness to learning; where the teacher can be open to learning from
children, especially the perspectives of children. It opens up a whole
dimension and complexity for listening, a new way of thinking about it. As it
intertwines and has layers, teachers are exposed to hundred languages,
and it is a whole layer of cues to pick up on when you're listening.”

64

Through a pedagogy of listening and collaboration the Other can be heard and
included in radical dialogue. This type of “listening means being open to others and
what they have to say, listening to the hundred (and more) languages, with all our
sense… Listening legitimizes the other person, because communication is one of the
fundamental means of giving form to thought. The communicative act that takes place
through listening produces meanings and reciprocal modifications that enrich all
participants in the type of exchange (Rinaldi quoted in Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p.97).”
By doing so educators are faced with challenging their beliefs and values by being
open and truly responding to what the Other has to say and interpret about their
perspectives.
Everett states, “Personally, I think a pedagogy of listening is where the teacher and
student actively listen and talk through ideas with each other to "construct meaning
out of the situation.”
Justin adds, “It seems that in order to have a pedagogy of listening, you have to work
with the other concepts as well. It’s like a cycle almost. To truly listen you have to be
open to what others have to say and have these difficult conversations which are
called radical dialogue. But within radical dialogue you are working together through
collaboration. That’s just my take on everything so far.”

Lynn replies, “Honestly, now that you mention it, I think I have to agree. It’s almost as
if you can’t have one concept without the other concepts. They’re like a package
deal.”

65

Possibilities of
Education

66

“A teacher who is sometimes the
director, sometimes the set designer,
sometimes the curtain and the
backdrop, and sometimes the prompter
. . . who is even the audience – the
audience who watches, who sometimes
claps, sometimes remains silent, full of
emotion, who sometimes judges with
scepticism, and other times applauds
with enthusiasm’ (Rinaldi, 2001b: 89).”

Coming into the last meetings, our perspectives of the
educator have shifted and are emerging into different
directions on what our role can be.
The group comes with metaphors of the educators that
reflect our responses. We asked what teaching is and
see that teaching reflects the guidance, reciprocity,
growth like vines and connecting to new ways of thinking
together.

67

Rediscovering The Purpose of Education
As educators we have seen the practices shifting between child centered
to teacher centred. However, what are children learning from these
practices? What are educators facilitating through them? The emphasis of
education has constantly been students and children being taught
something instead of understanding the intent and value of what is being
taught. The language of education is more than just teaching, it is
disrupting and bringing something that was not seen before.

What happens if we focus on the purpose of learning or teaching in a way
that is more than just facilitating or controlling students or children?
Children are not objects but subjects of authority and relational encounters
when adults deem it necessary.
It is shown that these reasons for education have put into children to be in
a society based on individualism, and that there is a right way to be and
think with each other. It also does not consider who a child is when they
are raised to be in the norm. If we are aware of the purpose of education,
we can start to think how do we affect the children? How do we
acknowledge who they are in a room full of difference?

68

What Can Teaching Be?
As dominant society understands that one of the duties of an educator is to teach, and we decide
to ask, “What is teaching?”
We saw that the participants reflected back two responses, one following the dominant discourse
of educators being the ultimate source of knowledge, and a more postmodern perspective where
teaching comes from learning from one another and allows for more than one answer to be
present. Although we have had discussions on the dominant discourse of education, we can see
how ingrained the idea of the educator being the all knowing being in the classroom is in our
society as it has been passed down from generation to generation. In order to begin
deconstructing this idea, we must question ourselves (MacNaughton, 2005; Moss, 2019). Who is
being silenced or gaining power from these ideas? Where do these ideas come from? Why do I
believe in this idea?
Justin says, “A way to impart knowledge and principles, and how to live in society. What that
knowledge is can vary a lot.”
Jacqueline says, “Teaching to me is a teacher filling gaps in a student's understanding of a
concept.”

Rebecca says, “Supporting children to learn mean a bunch of different things. Children learn
differently as in a hundred languages. Teaching can be flexible, engaging, and includes
collaboration.”
Jade says, “Different ways of thinking, knowing and doing things. The way we support
children, is also the way we can support children in making decisions- related to ethics.”

69

Transforming Our Disposition
of Educators
During our final meeting, we ask the participants to bring metaphors
on their disposition of the educator based on what they know and
what we have discussed throughout the weeks. Three themes
arose from these metaphors, teaching as vines, teaching as
guidance, and teaching as reciprocity.
We recognize that educators have a much more complex task at
hand than society perceives. Educators may now “turn away from
the search for certainty and order, unity and closure, into a
recognition of multiple perspectives and ambivalence,
provisionality and contestation (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 63).”
Lora says, “The role of a teacher or the disposition of the educators
are like vines. There are just so many things intersecting, like
questions and values. It’s ever changing and it's ever evolving
and it's always learning and twisting. There's so many twists and
turns around learning. I put some words on the vine like reciprocity,
tensions, responsibility, perspectives, bunch of dispositions,
educators entails collaboration.”
70

The next concept that arose was teaching as guidance, where
teachers guide children/students by showing them the world, yet
allowing the child make their own decisions. This encompasses the
disposition of the educator to be participants of co-creating
understandings and knowledge with children, and no longer being
just a mere observer of what children explore and question
(Province of British Columbia, 2019).
Rebecca says, “Teachers as a pair of shoes. I chose a pair of
shoes for a couple of reasons. The first would be that they are what
supports our feet from the ground. So I feel that's kind of what
teachers do for children. They support them in various ways. Also,
if say children are represented as feet and they're the shoes, they
help with the support, but the children get to choose their path
in guidance with the shoes. It's kind of that back and forth as well.”
Jenn brought her image titled “teacher as compass” and says,
“Teaching or how I see the role of an educator is the educators
being that compass as like a guide for the children in their
learning journey.”

71

Teaching as reciprocity was evident as Amina and Justin spoke to how
learning does not come from one authority figure. “The teacher is not
removed from her role as an adult, but instead revises it in an attempt to
become a co-creator, rather than merely a transmitter, of knowledge and
cultures. As teachers we have to carry out this role in full awareness of our
vulnerability, and this means accepting doubts and mistakes as well as
allowing for surprise and creation (Rinaldi quoted in Dahlberg & Moss, 2005,
p.97).”
Amina says, “Teaching as a pendulum. As you know how when you pick one
up and then it moves the other ones. I think of it as the teachers giving out
their ideas or their view of the world and the children are sort of taking
that, absorbing it and bring it back. It gives you like this whole back and
forth movement between the children and the teacher.” Furthermore, acting
ethical in our relationships is being attentive to what the children are saying
and doing and acting upon that in a reciprocal process. Amina’s example
also shows that in order to move, to work, it takes different parts and in our
case different people to do so.
Justin says, “Teaching as a cycle, where teachers are giving and
educating their students but are also listening and learning from their
students in turn.”
72

Closing Thoughts
Throughout our time together, we have collected our distinctions on ethics and what we are choosing to move forward with,
with these new knowledges and perspectives. We focus on the educator and child relationship, where children spend most
of their time growing up with and the school community. We confront the dominant stories that are in education and society
that link to the processes of a particular subjectification which has led to ways of injustice, marginalizing and oppression that
we’ve seen and some of us have experienced in society (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005, p. 15). We recognize the importance of
resisting the dominant stories of the child being equipped with knowledge and ways of being from a capital and
individualistic view that have shown to separate each other.
Reflecting on our discussions on the turn of ethics, we are understanding that it is more of the community accepting the
different “social experiences identities and standards of truth, moral rightness and beauty” that is in every person (Seidman,
1998: 347 quoted in Dahlberg & moss, 2005, p.61).
A strong part of our inquiry was acknowledging our own right, agency and responsibility we have for each other. The basis
of the foundation of ethics in our relationships is to take active responsibility for the choices we make with children.
Acknowledging that we have agency is thinking and reflecting our choices. The type of responsibility we discuss is not about
power and knowledge in the way that is projected in societal structures but the possibility to make free choices and act upon
our own thinking (Taguchi, 2010). It is about the changes, encounters and actions we take on and risk.
73

We create an understanding that if education is a place that opens
up ethical and political decision making with children, children will
then have the opportunities to take on their own responsibility for
their own choices with others. This space also shows children that
there are many possibilities and meanings in life. Children can work
together to negotiate their understandings and this conceptualizes a
new way of understanding knowledge and how we share it. We have
formed understandings that the tasks of the educator is to create a
space where children’s presence and values are legitimized and
listened to. They are respected for their otherness and are part of the
collaborative learning that they have a right in.
This also means as educators, we are not imposing our own moral
values and basing children’s learning on them but rather engaging in
radical dialogue and a pedagogy of listening to create new
meanings, choices and knowledge together with children. The
collaboratory emphasizes that collaboration in education is working
together towards something, towards a goal. It also takes part of
exploring, inquiring, challenging each other in a safe space where all
perspectives are heard and valued.

74

We also recognize that this process entails awareness, fears, resistance, and
changes. We recognize the relations we have with the children, families,
community and society and that beginning this work is hard and it will take
time and work to make it possible. With more of a collective learning
environment, children learn how to make decisions upon where they are
situated and with educators there to guide them through the context. This
also extends to the community they are in.
This inquiry project has encouraged us to become conscious of the way we
look at children and how we can decentralize knowledge and power as the
main values in our relationships to become a collaborative relationship that
we put into practice. By doing so, we hope that children learn to work
together, be open to the differences and create an empathetic society that
collectively respects each other.

We hope that this project has opened other perspectives into what we can be
as educators. We look forward to teaching, learning, and continuing to inquire
what we know and what we can achieve together. We carry on to question
what will education look like in the future for our ever changing
society? How will new ways of being, knowing, and doing be engaged?
Will the disposition of the educator alter and become more than just a
technician?
75

Epilogue
Reflecting and thinking with the project, we look back into our own intentions with it and
how we are passionate to bring forth these ideas during the times we live in. Last year, we
were moved by many of the challenges and uproar of inequalities and injustices made
against the Black lives. We were constantly discussing these issues in and outside of our
collaboratories. Racism, privilege, and systemic discrimination were happening in a
sensitive time of health, global and environmental issues that has put the world in danger.
It was not something that could be ignored.
These issues helped us understand that we share a responsibility for one another, and in
turn our decisions affects others. We thought about what we wanted for the children we
work with and for generations to come. We both did not want to grow in a world where this
was enabled and continue to happen. This showed us division, hate and pain on the way
we are made differently; and differences are what makes us unique singular beings. We
wondered as educators for young children, what would it mean if we could bring children
to work with us and each other.
Who could our children be if we change our spaces to invite the many ways humans can
think, act, and live alongside each other? What if the values we hold closely, like
compassion, kindness and empathy, could be translated into our teaching and more
specifically into ethics in our relationships?

76

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