When prenatal education are asked about why what they do is important, we have a myriad of amazing quotes to share…

”Freedom of choice based on knowledge of alternatives”

“Knowledge is power!”

“If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any”

If we believe there is virtually endless information to be explored and discovered by our learners, why would we expect anything less of ourselves?

Whenever I am blessed with the opportunity to work with new educators, I am reminded of their intense need to memorize all the facts and build a solid knowledgebase of their topics. I am also reminded that although these are critical steps in the foundation of every educator, that what lies beyond that is so much bigger and more complex. It is the lifelong study of the art of teaching.

Excellence in teaching requires that students to do much more that memorize facts. Learning is most effective when students learn to develop and pose questions themselves. To do this successfully, we need infinite knowledge about who they are, what they want to know and how they best learn. Since both the culture of our information and the needs of our learners are in a constant state of evolution, it takes concerted effort to stay ahead of the game.

W.B. Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.” Passion burns brightly in the hearts and minds of all the prenatal educators I know. Our lifelong mission is not only to keep our own fire burning, but seeking new and innovative ways to pass it on.

Denise Beaudoin, Secretary