Lawrence County Natives Write a Textbook
Two Lawrence County natives have co-authored a textbook to use in Early Childhood Education courses at Ashland Community and Technical College.
Robin Johns, Coordinator of ACTC’s Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education Program (IECE), wrote the book with her brother Dr. Rocky Wallace, an Assistant Professor in Graduation Education and Coordinator of the Principal Licensure Program at Asbury University.
“This was a labor of love for my brother and me,” said Johns. She has taught early childhood classes for 27 years and has published two children’s books and a devotional. Her brother has written four previous books on principalship and servant leadership.
Small Handprints On My Classroom Door; Small Handprints On My Heart is a comprehensive yet personal look into today’s early childhood classrooms. Johns uses it throughout her IECE program to focus on every aspect of early childhood education from administration to handling sensitive issues to developmental activities.
“The book provides a thorough and comprehensive look into today’s early childhood classrooms; the joys and challenges that are so authentic, the staff who dutifully attend to their work and the students who benefit from these efforts,” said Mike Armstrong, Executive Director of the Kentucky School Boards Association.
Although intended for teachers and education students, the book’s stories, located in an elementary school, have much to say to parents and others interested in understanding the challenges facing preschool and early primary classes.
Those challenges and opportunities include developing the whole child, early intervention options, identifying abuse & neglect, working with low income and non-traditional families, handling special needs and ensuring appropriate teacher support and resources.
“I wrote most of the chapters during my last five or six years in the early childhood classroom,” Johns said. “When the stories started looking like a book, I asked my big brother for input. He added the administrative view and took the lead in supporting the stories with our research.”
Each chapter’s school house story is tied to an NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) standard. These standards are important in setting early learning goals and evaluating the results.
“The characters in the book are fictional, but many are based on the experiences of teachers, staff, and children I have known over the years,” Johns said. “It is my hope that this book will serve as a voice for children suffering from the issues the adult world has created for them – not only in families, but in the schools as well.”
Their Lawrence County Roots
Originally from Lawrence County, the brother and sister grew up in a pastor’s family of five siblings. The family moved to Boyd County when their father accepted the call to a full-time ministry. “Teaching and preaching had traditionally been pretty popular picks in our extended family, so teaching is what we both chose,” Johns said.
Robin graduated from Boyd County High School and went on to earn Master’s Degrees in Early Education and IECE at Morehead State University. She taught elementary and preschool classes before starting at ACTC in 2013. She now lives in Catlettsburg.
Rocky graduated from Louisa High School and earned a doctorate in strategic leadership at Regent University. He was principal at Catlettsburg Elementary School in the 1990s and was later an administrator in Kentucky’s P-12 system. He now lives in Nicholas County.
“As life-long residents of Kentucky who grew up in the area, we relate to the family values, social structure and economic issues of our teachers and their students,” Johns said. “We wrote the book for teachers, staff and early childcare providers.” Each chapter includes reflective questions that are used for online discussions.
“From students’ responses on the discussion board, we know that the candid stories have struck a chord,” Johns added. “My students are made up of early child care providers, teachers, mothers, grandmothers and aunts and uncles who deal with these issues on a daily basis.”
“Unless they’ve been there, no one know what these employees’ work day is like,” Johns concluded. “In providing support to them, I believe the book will support the little ones they care for.”
The IECE program at ACTC offers an Associate in Applied Science Degree as well as a diploma and five certificates. The KY Child Care Provider, Child Care Assistant, Early Childcare Administrator, School Age Child Care and IECE Technical certificates can provide employment opportunities while building credits for the diploma or degree.
For more information, email Johns at: rjohns0006@kctcs.edu.