Early Childhood Literacy Analysis

One way in which to shape students into independent readers would be training educators in early childhood literacy. The more they know about what they are doing, the better they can teach it to others. Early childhood literacy is vital to development because between birth and age five is when the brain retains the most information. Studies by the SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Literacy, at first suggested that children couldn’t grasp the concept of reading and phonics until around age six or seven, which was later debunked as false. Those who studied that set of children, did not count sound and letter recognition as the ability to read. However, other studies showed that for younger ages, that is the exact capacity of reading

(The SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Literacy, Larson and Marsh) There are benefits that come from literacy exercises for young children; once they grasp the basics of letter and sound recognition, reading

This way, teachers aides can properly assist in self learning rather than doing their work for them. A properly trained teacher’s aid has a passion for kids and making a difference, which is as important as the academic qualifications, if not more. They also need to know child psychology and apply that when guiding a student through the learning process. Moreover, they should also take a teaching strategies course, and have hands on experience, so that way they know what they are getting into. Teacher’s aides are not required to have a teaching certificate. Most schools only require a high school diploma, but a few schools require certain classes to be taken before eligibility. (teachers.org, “What Does It Take to Become a Teacher’s Aide?) This is unacceptable, there should be higher expectations for those who are working with children. When aides are allowed to barely slide by in their education, the message that is sent to the students is anything but a good example. When the student relies or finds out that the one assisting in their classroom everyday achieved the bare minimum to get where they are, the student then believes that there is no point in trying to become better. Once teachers aides possess these skills, they can then more effectively teach students to think critically about proposed situations. When the teacher’s aide