Lengselen etter barnehagekunnskap: Når erfarne assistenter ønsker å bli barnehagelærere

Artikkelen handler om bakgrunner for assistenters utdanningsvalg og deres syn pa verdien av kompetansei barnehagearbeidet. Malet er, gjennom en kvalitativ tilnaerming, a forsta hvorfor erfarne assistenter vil bli barnehagelaerere i en praksis der de utforer mange av de samme praktiske og pedagogiske oppgaver som barnehagelaereren gjor. Vi undersoker hvilke erfaringer med barnehagelaerernes kompetanse som har inspirert assistenter til a ville utdanne seg til barnehagelaerere. Som deltidsstudenter med erfaring som assistenter ble de i starten av utdanningen oppfordret til a skrive praksisfortellinger om vendepunkter som forte til utdanningsvalget. I praksisfortellingene kommer det frem at de beundrer barnehagelaerernes arbeid med barna og ser betydningen av den profesjonelle kompetansen i barnehagearbeidet. De trekker blant annet frem barnehagelaererens barnesyn og deres ledende tilstedevaerelse i praksis. De har ogsa forventninger til egen laering og utvikling i barnehagearbeidet. De forteller i liten grad om posisjonskamper. I mote med utydeligebarnehagelaerere beskriver de uro og irritasjon nar de ma overta barnehagelaererens ansvars- ogarbeidsoppgaver. ABSTRACT English title: A Longing for Preschool Knowledge: When Experienced Assistants Wish to Become Preschool Teachers This article is about kindergarten assistants’ backgrounds for taking a part time Kindergarten Teacher Education, and their experiences and views on the value of professional skills in kindergarten work. The goal is to understand why experienced kindergarten assistants want to become kindergarten teachers, since in practice both kindergarten assistants and teachers already perform many of the same practical and educational tasks. Our research question is what experiences with kindergarten teachers’ competence have inspired kindergarten assistants to pursue an education as kindergarten teachers? The study uses a qualitative research approach. As students, they were asked to write narratives from practice about critical events that led to their education choices. The narratives show an admiration for the kindergarten teachers’ work with the children,and the importance of professional competence in kindergarten work. When assistants they admired the teachers’ positive view of childhood and their participatory leadership. In the narratives they express expectations for their own learning and development. The narratives hardly mention role conflicts. Confronted with unclear role models and leaders, the students describe disconcert and irritation when having to take on the teacher’s duties.