The Weeding Process
Once you realize your training has a bias, the next step is to start the weeding process. Whether we realize or not, every time we receive new information we pass it through our own personal filter. For many Americans everything labeled "latest research" automatically passes through our filter. That is mistake number one. When you realize that a great deal of the information that comes to you through the media or your trainings has a bias toward relativism, it becomes easier to filter. If you do not believe me that everyone has a filter, just ask a Democrat about Planned Parenthood. Then ask the same question of a Republican. We have built-in political filters on many subjects to the point that blatant evidence still does not sway us from our convictions without a fight. The same is true for early childhood professionals. Their training has taught them to have a liberal worldview filter for everything pertaining to children. This drives me nuts because I do not have that filter. I have a Christian worldview filter that has been trained over the years through homeschooling to weed out liberal bias. If you switch your filter, then the very same information takes on a whole different meaning to you. It is all in what you hold dear. Many people do not even realize they filter information in the way they do until someone points this out to them. If you think you have no filter, you are probably liberal. Most conservatives know and understand this process. Everyone has a filter because everyone has a worldview. You filter information according to your priorities and beliefs on the subject. If you do not believe in relativism, then make sure you filter out all information on every subject that denies the presence of God and His working Hand in the lives of men. Most of the time if the information denies the fallen nature of man that is a sure sign of relativism. I always filter information through what I know of the Word of God. If the information contradicts the Word, the information goes out the window. However, many people do not have a good working knowledge of the Word of God. Even if you are not a Bible scholar, you can develop your filter by asking the two points I presented earlier. Does the information deny God's working in the lives of men? Does the information deny the fallen nature of man? Those two questions will help you weed out a majority of the relativistic bias of most information.
Change Foundations
Once you become proficient at spotting the bias and weeding out the obvious relativism, it is now time to start looking for gems of truth. In everything there will be some truth. These little nuggets of truth can be very useful when repurposed on a different foundation. Almost every single class I took in my pursuit of my graduate degree provided several of these little nuggets of truth. I have had a couple of classes so badly biased that I could not even find any useful information. This will happen. However, if you keep an open mind, most of the time you can find what will usually be just a part of a whole point they mean to make. Part of the point will be blatantly relativistic, but one little section will have some information that will be able to pass through the filter. When you take that information and plug it into the foundation that the world is built on definite right and wrong principles, you get results that make everyone in the childcare world stand up and take notice. You see, when you use the right foundation all your plans and procedures work so much better. It confounds the liberals. You should not be getting those results with the way you are using that information in their eyes. They just do not understand that most of the time they have it upside down and backwards. When you build your foundation on the Rock, your plans and purposes flourish. When you build your foundation on the sand (relativism), you get a slow moving train wreck.
Specific Examples
One of the best examples of how I did this has to do with choices. I agree that children need to learn to make decisions and must have opportunities to practice that skill. However, I have major issue with the complete choice mantra pushed by so many early childhood theorists. Children should not have complete choice over their lives. That is ludicrous. The way I handle choices gives children practice in real-world decision making. I let them choose their centers whenever we have center times but with stipulations. I let a different child choose first every day. This is called the day privilege and rotates between the children. Therefore, the day after a child gets to choose first they go to the bottom of the picking order. This teaches them to deal with not getting their way. The other stipulation I have on the choosing involves abiding by their choices. I do not allow roaming. Once you choose that is where you stay until that particular center time ends. This teaches them to choose more carefully. I also only allow a certain number of children in an area. A child at the bottom of the picking order may have to deal with not getting what they want for an entire day. It does them good.
Another example of how I lifted information and plugged it into a different foundation has to do with how I handle those areas that are not optional. The training you receive to teach handwashing and other such self-help skills that are universally considered not optional can be transferred to those areas that you do not consider optional that more liberally minded early childhood professionals might. I do not consider nap optional neither do I consider their one-on-one instruction optional. I treat this the same way I treat handwashing. Does this get me in trouble? Sometimes. However, once trained I rarely have any issues. I have only received flack when I had to be observed during the training process.
Conclusion
I labeled this post "Eat the Chicken, Spit Out the Bones." When you learn to weed out the relativistic bias and glean useful information that can then be plugged into the right foundation, that is exactly what you do. Life is full of "bones." Learn to be people that do not gullibly accept everything that comes down the pike and use a little wisdom.
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