Journey With Children: The Autobiography of a Teacher

Filled with timeless, pertinent, and well-documented information, Journey With Children is a heartfelt, enthralling memoir of Frances Hawkins and her abiding dedication to the education of young children.A mentor and role model for professionals who care deeply about the children they work with, Hawkins emphasizes the importance of putting on a different lens to view each child as an individual. Having been a teacher for more than five decades, her views on how war, depression, and other societal issues can affect children's development and learning are insightful and thought-provoking.Most of the children Hawkins writes about are impoverished and troubled. A cornerstone of Hawkins's teaching ethic was moving her students towards a more hands-on, manipulative style. Her writing addresses all of the issues that confound people involved in education, including boredom, dropouts, and the inability to "reach" many students. By interspersing comments on early childhood education teaching practice, theories in child growth and development, and material from child psychology, Hawkins enriches the reader's understanding and grasp of the concepts and broader importance of cultural and educational implication.Journey With Children will be invaluable reading for experienced educators, university teacher trainers, pre-service and in-service teachers, parents, school board members and community members involved in education. It will be especially inspiring to those planning a career in the education of young children.