Standing up for something every day: ethics and justice in early childhood classrooms

Introduction : Our nation knows but does not act ; Getting closer to the fire ; Standing up for something every day ; Taking a stand: personal, professional, and political ; Conceptual framework and theoretical touchstones ; Structure of the book ; Putting it all together: being the change

1. Teacher intentions hold the key : Justice and ethics through the eyes of a child ; Justice and ethics through the intentions of a teacher ; A vision for your own classroom ; The persistent challenge of childhood in the United States ; Focusing advocacy on all children in the United States ; Advocacy: a tent of protection for children ; Social justice: essential and controversial ; The relevance and importance of social justice commitments ; Professional ethics: essential to teaching practice ; Intentional respect for diversity in early childhood classrooms ; Meet our four hypothetical teacher-guides ; Some practical ideas for getting started

2. Teacher talk is teacher action! : The importance of teacher talk ; Language is a social act ; Understanding the educational language environment ; The cultural politics of language ; Design your educational language to avoid categorizing children in schools ; Frequently asked questions ; Talk is advocacy in action ; Some practical ideas for getting started

3. Intentional respect for diversity : Diversity is on the increase in the United States ; What is multicultural education? ; Multicultural education starts with intentions ; Anti-bias education: navigating the parallel streams ; Culturally relevant teaching ; Multicultural education and resistance ; Some practical ideas for getting started.

4. Dynamic ethics in the lives of early childhood teachers : Defining ethics and morality in the everyday ; First do no harm ; Ethics in our personal lives ; Embracing a professional code of ethics ; Negotiating the code with others ; Balancing the real and ideal ; Ethics as applied social justice ; Some practical ideas for getting started

5. Commitment in action: addressing school readiness : Welcoming all children with respect and high regard ; What is readiness for school? ; Can readiness assessment bring harm to children? ; Critiquing the "deficit glaze" ; Research and early childhood programs ; The other alternative: the "ready school" ; Democratic approaches to readiness ; Some practical ideas for getting started

6. Democratic classrooms: visible commitments in the everyday : The democratic classroom community ; Talking about differences in the classroom ; Designing the social environment ; Democratic classrooms are moral classrooms ; Classroom rules: important lessons in democracy ; Children's rules and children's rights ; Children and advocacy ; Some practical ideas for getting started

7. The whole world is waiting: envisioning a lifetime of commitment : Teaching as a philosophical journey ; The importance of teacher leadership ; Reaching out to honor family emotions and experience ; Advocacy in the moral terrain ; Some final thoughts on advocacy.