The \u27teacher called mommy\u27: A qualitative study of the experience and meaning of teaching one\u27s own child in an early childhood setting

The successful development of children in the early childhood years is facilitated by positive interrelationships within the child\u27s ecosystem. This ecosystem is composed of the family and home environment, and the schools, child care centers, and teachers involved with the child\u27s education and care. However, the educational literature reports conflicts between teachers and parents over the education and guidance of children in the United States throughout this century. The misunderstanding and confusion surrounding the different perspectives of teachers and parents can be problematic for the child\u27s growth and development, and can jeopardize communication between the school and the home. Clarification of the similarities and differences between the teacher and parent roles will add to our understanding of these multiple perspectives, as they influence the child, and will suggest ways to improve teacher preparation with regard to parent and family communication. One direct way of getting data on the complementary and conflicting aspects of the parenting and teaching roles is to study women who experience them simultaneously, that is who teach their own child in an early childhood classroom. This study uses phenomenological interview data and a developmental assessment of self-knowledge to gather more information concerning the complex dynamics of the teacher and mother roles. The data collection proceeded in three parts. First, a written questionnaire designed to assess self-knowledge level of teacher/mothers was administered. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten of the survey respondents, all of whom taught their own child in an early childhood group setting. The interview protocol focused on each participant\u27s personal background as a teacher and a mother, her experience as a \u27teacher called mommy\u27, and the importance and meaning of that experience to her as a teacher and as a mother. The interviews were transcribed and edited into a profile of each participant. Profiles were coded for common themes and issues across participants. The third phase involved sharing the themes in a Focus Group session with the interview participants. They considered the relevance and salience of the themes in light of their own experiences and made recommendations for teachers, parents, administrators, and future \u27teachers called mommy\u27. The findings point to common themes within the experience of the \u27teacher called mommy\u27, and indicate a range of experiences within each theme. Developmental analysis of the self-knowledge levels of the participants is used to group the responses within each of the themes, and provides a helpful model for understanding the variations within each theme. Recommendations suggest strategies to facilitate parent and teacher communication in general, and more specifically to supporting the simultaneous dual role situation of \u27teacher called mommy\u27