One tool that Erica Maia consistently relies on as an early educator is joy.
“One of the things that I think is important for teachers to practice is finding joy in the little moments,” Maia says.
“It’s important for teachers to stop and reflect on all of the good that they’ve done during the day, over a week, and over a year, because it can be hard to see when you’re living in it day in and day out. But teachers truly make such a huge difference in children’s and families’ lives.”
“Make it a routine to do it on the fly or at the end of the day. Talk to your co-teacher about what went really well. Do it during team meetings.”
Maia’s own path to joyful education ran through the world of music. She played piano and flute, and she went to Boston College, intending to major in music. She ended up with a major in psychology and a minor in music.
“I had a wonderful experience at BC, and my plan was to become a child psychologist, but when I graduated, I wasn’t able to find a job as quickly as I wanted to, so I started working as an assistant teacher at a preschool. From there, I thought, This is my path. I love this.
“The main thing I loved was watching children experience newness in their world, and I loved the variety that each new day brought.”
Maia also loves “helping children navigate big feelings. I think this is due to my psychology and education background. I’ve learned just how capable young children are at processing big feelings. We don’t always have to distract children; we can just say, I hear you. You sound mad or sad.”
Maia spent more than a dozen years teaching in early childhood classrooms at Family ACCESS of Newton and, most recently, at the Boston University Children’s Center, where she mentored college students who worked in her classroom at the center.
“I taught them ways to set up an engaging activity, how to manage a classroom, how to troubleshoot challenging moments with children, whether it was a child having big feelings or a tantrum or going through a conflict with a peer over a toy or just wanting more space.”
“Working with students was when I became interested in learning how to guide teachers to become their own professional. Everyone is different, and I wanted to help teachers find their own particular voice.”
Today, Maia is an Early Childhood Education Coach at Neighborhood Villages as well as a member of the fourth cohort of Strategies for Children’s Advocacy Network.
As a Neighborhood Villages coach, Maia works at Horizons for Homeless Children in seven classrooms, observing teachers, sharing research-based teaching practices, and providing coaching on a curriculum that Neighborhood Villages has developed.
“I think one of the most important lessons for a teacher is to trust themselves. They are the ones in the classroom with their students day in and day out. And teachers have to trust that they know students well enough to know where to go next in terms of curriculum, in terms of speaking to parents, behavior management, and challenging moments.”
And, of course, Maia adds, teachers should track joy, noticing students who run up to them with a big smile and who uses their words to ask for something for the first time.
For Maia, joy is both a personal trait and a strategy.
“I’m always laughing, always making up silly songs for the kids, always dancing around and being silly. But I’ve also had those years where I would doubt whether this was the right field for me, because of the stresses like low pay—most teachers I know have a second income—or having a particularly challenging classroom for a few years in a row. So to break through that cloud of, Should I be doing this? I had to find ways to stay afloat, and joy was part of that, and also looking at all the things I’ve done.”
Maia also points to the other challenges that early educators face. High staff turnover not only means constantly changing educator faces, it also means that the teachers who do stay are spread too thinly. And not having enough staff can mean teachers don’t have time for planning and team meetings.
Another challenge: since the pandemic, educators are seeing more developmental issues among children.
“We don’t always have the knowledge that we need to truly help students who might need extra help but don’t qualify for services. And having that education gap can cause extra stress.
“It also costs money to get the education teachers need, and it can be tough to find the right professional development programs.”
It’s crucial to address these issues, Maia explains, but one thing she has learned as a member of the Advocacy Network is how much time it takes to create change.
“As an educator, I’m living through this experience, and I’m thinking, What’s taking so long? I just want more money, or I want more resources. But the truth is someone has to write a bill, and that bill has to become a law. Then people have to get together to decide how to implement that law. And then you need funding. So no matter how bright and shiny a new bill or law might be, if there’s no funding for it, nothing happens.”
There is still hope for change.
“I’ve learned that people’s voices matter. You don’t necessarily need a whole lot of knowledge on law and policy to be able to advocate for change. You can just go to the State House and tell your story. If I had known that when I was a teacher, I would have done it. I honestly just didn’t think that was available to me.”
For her Advocacy Network project, Maia is building a Facebook group called Early Childhood Advocates of Massachusetts for teachers and former teachers.
“I’m hoping it will be a safe space for people to share resources and help each other on their advocacy journey.”
Maia also hopes to interview teachers to give them the chance to share their stories.
“The life of a teacher is very rich, and a lot of people don’t know that, so I want to help get people’s voices out there.”
What does Maia want policymakers to know about her work? That now is the time to act.
“The challenges that we face in the field—pay, access to resources, benefits, the ability to move up a career ladder—these are all things that keep people in the field.
“I know policymakers are working hard, but the field is losing teachers more quickly than before, so the situation feels more urgent.”
How does Maia keep up her sense of joy?
“I protect my joy by staying connected to my community. I find comfort in community when things are a little chaotic. So my work community, my friend group, my family and my siblings. Keeping in touch with communities—especially communities where you feel comfortable being your full self—that helps me maintain my joy.”