Redefining the early childhood professional as a critical activist is a political act that involves making a commitment to socially just teaching and learning. However, there are many risks and dangers for the critical activist in planning a journey that takes you towards to the margins of your community. These include:
•creating dissent between families, children and teachers
•censorship from other professionals; •marginalizing or silencing views that are different to yours;
•losing your way or your impetus.
Careful thinking and planning with others will help you to meet the risks and dangers of critical activism and to celebrate the rewards of changes. What you need is a process that will help you to begin your journey, to make changes along the way to your understandings and practices, and to sustain your commitment to working for social justice.
Action research as a process of creating a professional activist for young children and families
making the familiar seem strange.
(Anderson and Herr 1999: 15)