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When I think of my future career as an educator, I am overwhelmed with emotions: joy, anxiety, pride, fulfillment, just to name a few. I can easily imagine myself becoming acclimated to the customs of a classroom-my own classroom. I cannot, however, imagine a career comparable to teaching, something as wonderful, as rewarding, as life-affirming as a career in education. So what better metaphor for a passion of mine than another passion? Music.
-An early childhood education student on selecting a metaphor to express her passion for teaching
How do preservice early childhood education majors make sense of all that they see and learn in their early childhood education classes? How do they become reflective early childhood practitioners? Because it is essential that all early childhood educators be aware of and intentional about their methods and practices (Ryan & Whitebook 2012), these have been central questions during my eight years as a professor of teacher education. One approach my students and I have enjoyed as we cultivate their identities as teachers has been developing metaphors (Thomas & Beauchamp 2011), which are fundamental to the human quest for knowledge (Mac Cormac 1985). As a young student teacher several decades ago, I fondly remember my teaching metaphor: a kaleidoscope. Just as a kaleidoscope produces intricate and varied images, an exemplary early childhood teacher is enthusiastic about learning, crafts a warm and welcoming environment, creatively designs teaching strategies for diverse learners, and enjoys life while teaching her students to do the same. Metaphors are a means of framing and defining experiences in order to achieve meaning in life (Shaw & Mahlios 2008). For aspiring teachers, metaphors help them envision what they haven't seen before, painting fuller pictures of life in the classroom (Lakoff & Johnson 1980).
Metaphors-essential parts of everyday language- convey insights by figuratively equating one object or concept with another (Bartel 1983; Badley & Van Brummelen 2012). "Music is the language of the soul" and "Life is a roller coaster" are a couple of common examples; they show that metaphors are powerful emotional tools that can promote shifts in perception, offer new outlooks on familiar topics, and conceptualize new information (Noe 2007). In addition, metaphors offer unique opportunities for educators to imagine distinctive meanings for situations...