In her article, "The Seven Faces of the Early Childhood Educator," Jill Miels urges childhood educators to acknowledge that the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has reached a new stage in dealing with young children, and that teachers should be prepared for new responsibilities. In order for early childhood educators to be successful in their profession, they should abandon the old pattern of education, as it limits their performances, and follow the roles that Miels characterizes as having seven faces. Miels is an assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education in the Teachers College at Ball State University. In addition to teaching undergraduate classes, she is actively involved in professional organizations and continues to work closely with schools. She worked with young children in a variety of settings from 1971 until 1993. Indeed, the seven roles that Miels mentions are crucial in order for early childhood educators to be effective in their careers, but I believe that they have more than seven roles to play.
        According to Miels, early childhood educators should continually improve themselves and follow the seven roles that she suggests for being successful teachers. The first role is the role of "communicator." Miels suggests that teachers not only should spend more time talking to their students, but also listening to them. The second role is the "facilitator." As facilitators, teachers guide their students and take care of individual children's needs, instead of just distributing knowledge. The third role is the "coach," in which teachers should encourage their students by giving suggestions and new ideas, and by bringing out the best in each child. The "model" is the fourth and most important role according to Miels, because today's children are aware and can examine adult actions; therefore, teachers should be careful with their actions in order not to give any wrong impressions or be wrong examples.The fifth role is the "keeper of the watch," meaning that teachers shouldn't urge their students to finish their work during the required period, but instead concentrate on the quality of their work. The sixth role is the "storyteller," as this beautiful habit has lost its appreciation among families due to routine engagements, and therefore this skill should be practiced at schools. The seventh and the last role is the "researcher," in which the educators use real life examples to learn how different populations react to different situations.
        In her article, Miels urges the early childhood educators to "free [themselves] from old stereotypes that might limit what [they] do with and for children" (p. 1). The term "old stereotypes" and how it can affect teachers' performance, however, is not clearly defined to readers. Perhaps older teachers with vast experience might know what is meant by this term, but in order for her writing to be more persuasive, Miels should explain the term clearly. Also Miels suggests seven roles for early childhood educators that they should apply in their teaching profession. The information given in these roles is crucial, but in my opinion, she misses an important role that childhood educators should play, which is the role of "social worker." Teachers should know how to deal with special-needs children such as the hyperactive ones, who might blur the calm atmosphere of the classroom by sudden and unexpected actions or sounds. To be able to control such situations, teachers should communicate with parents to know how these children are in their homes, and it is also important for parents to know how their children act at school.
        As an early childhood educator myself, I believe that today's children are aware of and can examine their teachers' practices; therefore, I agree with Miels that "it is vital [for teachers] to do as [they] want [their students] to do" (p. 2). Most youngsters imitate the way their teachers talk, explain, and walk, or they even act like their teachers do in a moment of anger; therefore, teachers should carefully choose their words and control their temper in order to be role models for their students. I partly agree with Miels that teachers spend less time listening to their students, and I don't believe that by doing so they give the impression that what they say is more important than their students' ideas. I personally enjoy it when my students interrupt my explanation for attention, but I sometimes find myself obliged to end their interruption not because my ideas are more important than theirs, but because I have to finish the required program on time, which I believe is an important aspect of a good teacher. Moreover, in the fifth role of "keeper of the watch," Miels suggests that the time factor shouldn't be an important aspect for teachers to end their students' activities, or to urge them to finish their work without paying attention to the quality of the same. Unlike Miels, I believe that meticulous teachers do not ignore the importance of quality in an assignment, but I believe that they might urge their students to finish their work in a prescribed period of time in order to finish the required program on time.
        Miels urges early childhood educators to continually develop themselves by implementing the seven roles that she mentions in order to become successful teachers. Her presentation is inviting and the examples given are significant, but based on my experience, apart from the seven roles that Miels suggests, I believe that childhood educators have to deal with the academic, emotional, social, and physical developments of their students in order to be successful in their profession. Considering all these challenges that early childhood educators have to undertake, I can verify that they are expected to be more than just teachers.