While studying what a director's role should consist of, how can we bring in these components into the classroom as teachers?

I think both the issues and strategies was difficult to think of at times, but I found scenario two a lot easier to point out the issues and strategies. I feel that coaching and mentoring and building and supporting community felt more familiar to me in generating responses for. I feel that managing and overseeing is a little more difficult for me, because I sometimes can be a little shy when taking the lead in something.

Some goals that I would like to set aside for myself to cultivate a more balanced approach to directing from each side of the triangle would be a more outgoing person so that I can stand up for my opinions and views that would better the program I work at, be able to go to more workshops and training sessions so that I understand more early childhood practices, and to create a diverse classroom environment in the future program I work at. A question that arose while answering these questions was, while studying what a director's role should consist of, how can we bring in these components into the classroom as teachers?

What can a director do when her/his staff may not be completly organized?

What issues are raised from each side of the triangle by this situation?

• Managing and Overseeing -

                Keeping a neat and organized classroom is a requirement when working with young children. Environments can affect the children in negative and positive ways.If  the classroom is unorganized and messy, it can become a safety hazard. If you start to smell rotten food that is a big sign that your classroom needs cleaning. Messy classroom also is a negative aspect to the parents of the children. Families want to bring their children to clean and safe classrooms.It interferes with clarifying professional standards and expectations and also makes the school look bad.

• Coaching and Mentoring -

                 This may cause some conflict for the director and the teacher. It seems like he is a very good teacher, but he needs to keep his classroom clean. This may also cause some distance between the teacher, because he may be stuck in his ways. Making the responsibility of cleaning the their cubbies entirely on the children is a lack of responsibility on the teacher.

• Building and Supporting Community -

                 Having a messy classroom is something that will be unattractive for families. It could also be a make or break for families decisions in putting their child into your school. Messy classrooms are also not attractive when accreditation comes around and you're being evaluated.

What strategies from each side might you use to address the issues?

• Managing and Overseeing -

                     Having children have specific jobs during the day will help them learn about responsibility. As a teacher, you need to keep your classroom clean but you can also have the children learn to keep their classroom space clean as well. By saying, "Oh my gosh, look there is a paper on the floor, I am going to pick it up and put it in the trash can so no steps on it and falls." Making a big deal about cleaning up such things can help children understand why we need to keep our classroom clean. A clean classroom can also be a safe classroom. As a director I would make this known to the teacher, because it is not a good situation to be in when you have a messy classroom. I would tell him, "You need to keep your classroom clean, don't make the entire responsibility be to the children."

• Coaching and Mentoring -

                   Talking to the teacher about this in private is a must. Discussing why in keeping his classroom clean is something I would do. The dangers of having papers on the floor, toys everywhere, smells coming from the cubbies is not attractive for families and is a safety concern for children and yourself. 

• Building and Supporting Community -

                    Having an organized, clean, and safe environment needs be talked about with this teacher. When families come in and tour the school they will be turned off by a messy classroom and families who already have their child go to the school will be discouraged about the teacher being messy. And when families talk about these negative aspects to other families your school will be not considered when putting their children into a school. During meetings, I would let all the teachers know why it is important to keep their classrooms clean and to remind them to always try and keep it clean during the day. Children will be messy but teaching them to clean up after their mess is important but also cleaning, sanitizing, and organizing the classroom is your job as a teacher.

How can a new director ease their transition into the school, but is confonted with challenges from left to right from the more experienced staff?

What issues are raised from each side of the triangle by this situation?

• Managing and Overseeing - 

                 Some of the teachers are not cooperating with the new director. There is some talking behind the director's back, which is not right. Problems are not being solved, so it's hard to manage the program when the staff have different ways, in some cases old ways,  of doing things in the classroom. There is no respect for the director, besides the one girl who has spoken and acknowledged the new director. This causes issues when the director clarifies professional standards and expectations, establish effective communication systems, and organizes training options and meetings.

• Coaching and Mentoring -

                The teachers of the school are not allowing themselves to use different strategies and activities in the classroom that the director is mentioning. One thing with early childhood education is that things are always changing. That is why even after getting your degree one must still go to workshops and training classes to get informed of the new ways of working in classrooms. New strategies are always coming out and teachers should be attentive to that. When the director suggested new ideas, she was let down by the teachers. This makes the teachers look very bad in my opinion, because their showing a lack of respect for their director. This interferes with the director ability to offer opportunities for self-assessment and goal setting, allow time to practice new skills and apply new understandings, nurture dispositions favorable to effective teaching, give feedback and support for growth and change, and foster mentoring relationships.

• Building and Supporting Community -

                  Even though the two teachers have worked in the program for some time, they should know that each set of children they get every year learn differently and requires them to change up their teaching strategies, activities, and environment. New insight by the director might do them some good, because it effects the children of the community when they are not receiving the teaching and curriculum that they deserve. This effects the director's ability to have acknowledgment and respect with each individual and the contributions each brings to the group, learn the family contexts and cultural frameworks that shape the individual lives in the program, help people make connections and establish bonds with one another, and link the people in your program to the wider community around them.

What strategies from each side might you use to address the issues?

• Managing and Overseeing - 

                     I think it may be hard to come into a program as a new director, especially if it's your first time in the position. If you have been a teacher in a program then you will know what a director's role should be. If you have just finished school and it's your first time in a program it may be hard at times to be acknowledged of your thoughts and opinions, but why is this? Experience and education is both important to have, but you can't gain experience if you no one will let you and you if you have experience you should have education as well. If I was the director I would keep doing my part as the director should. I would use all the three parts of the triangle and do the best that I can do. I would hold meetings regularly to talk about the new curriculum and changes I would like to see in the program. I would also want to gain advice from the more experienced staff as well. But when I would change something I would have evidence to back it up so the staff would understand why I would be changing things.

• Coaching and Mentoring -

                     As the director I think I would let the staff know that I am there for them in any way, if they needed advice or wanted to talk about certain things. I would allow them to have their opinions and take in consideration what they say and how they feel about things, but I would also want them to do the same. Showing respect for one another is something I would do, because in the end, if you are a really good director and do things the right way even when things were tough in the beginning, things will turn around for the better.

• Building and Supporting Community -

                     As the director I would hold as much workshops as I could and make some mandatory for the staff so that they are gaining new insight of early childhood education. Having resources for teachers and families will help build a better foundation of new practices or strategies for everyone part of the program. I would also hold community events to have the families become aware of the program and also to have the staff come out and get to know each other and learn about the community they work in.

Being a director, means you have to make sacrifices at times, but how far are you willing to go?

Reading about the Program Vision in chapter 2 has opened up my eyes to a director's position and how they are to handle things. I have always been wondering what my own director does and how she handles things. Sometimes I feel bad for her, because she is always busy with running the school and worrying about ratios, who needs a substitute, making enough hours for the substitutes, making sure everyone is taken care of, and so much more. She is at work for someimes 12 hours or more. I feel that her job is taking over her life. So I have always been compassionate to her and letting her know my hours, since I'm a substitute, and being available for her so if she needs me to stay longer at work or come in earlier I'm there so she doesn't have to stress out. Sometime, as humans, we should sacrifice some of our time to do something to make someone's life a little more easier.

The three parts of the triangle are managing and overseeing, coaching and mentoring, and building and supporting community. The one that I am most like is the coaching and mentoring, because if there is a problem I am more likely to help the person who has a problem by having them talk to me and giving them ideas to help them solve their problem. I really like Donovan's approach, as this is coaching and mentoring. But I also like Maria's Approach which is building and supporting community. I also see myself as this approach, because if there is something that needs to be done and someone is not there to do it, I will step in to get it done. Teresa's scenario is a tough one, but she should find another alternative in the mornings to not be late. Maybe the director could find a substitute on staff for a little while until Teresa came into work. Or the director could bumb Teresa's shift thirty minutes later so that she wouldn't be late. I didn't like the managing and overseeing approach in this scenario, because it was just too overbearing. Teresa is a good teacher, she just has a little problem of being late, but threatening to fire her is not the answer. My co-worker had this happen to her. Her shift was bumbed up fifteen minutes later so that she would have time to catch the bus in the mornings and make it to work on time. It's possible to work through this problem if everyone is willing to listen to other's ideas. If I was the director I would hold a meeting and figure out the best way to handle the problem that makes most or everyone satisfied. This is one thing I like about working in a preschool. The school is like a family. They help each other and think about others before oneself. It is definetly necessary when working with young children. We need to model to them about compassion and friendship. This brought up a question I have, being a director, means you have to make sacrifies at times, but how far are you willing to go?

If nobody wanted to speak up when needed, how would things get done in the workplace?

Being a risk taker has never been part of my vocabulary. I was sheltered when growing up so it has scared me to come out of my comfort zone. I am slowly becoming more trusting in my life that occasionally involves taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone. I am very satisfied in the program I work at. There are certain things around the campus that brings up some safety concerns for the children and some organizing/cleaning I would like to do in the classroom I work in, but overall I'm very happy and blessed that I work at the school. I am very satisfied with the profession I have chosen and feel that I can make a difference in the lives of the children I work with. My dream is to become a preschool teacher at the school I currently work at. I want to work with four to five year olds. Once I get my BA degree in about another year and a half I should be starting my dream job.

One statement I feel that is most like me is, "When I feel something really needs changing, I'm willing to stick my neck out." If something is bothering me at work I like to talk about it with my colleagues close to me or my director. One thing that I like about the school I work at is we're all encouraged to talk about the things that bother us, if we need help with something, and asking for advice. I feel that before, this statement would not have been most like me. But now growing up and becoming an adult I feel that I need to be able to learn how to stand up for myself and not be that shy girl I was before. If nobody wanted to speak up when needed, how would things get done in the workplace? I feel now, that nothing would be done without someone taking a stand for it and being responsible in getting things done. I am learning now to humbly voice my opinion when needed.

How do male teachers feel and think about working in a dominantly female career?

While reading this paragraph, it actually shocked me a little bit. I feel that the first sentence is true and I agree with it. A stereotypical teacher is usually a female. You usually see females working with young children and young elementary school children. Why is this? Is it because females are more nurturing than males? Does males think that females are more capable of teaching young children? I work with three males and all of them is amazing at what they do. The children really love them and the boys tend to go to them when they want to play catch or tag. Why is this? Is it because the children know the male teacher are little bit more lenient about tackling and rough play? I think we need more male early childhood educators in preschools.

While reading the sentence, "In early childhood care and education our message is often "We are doing such a good job with children; please give us more recognition and resources,"" made me think that being a female educator has been a social norm for so long. Women have felt empowered as teachers and they are good at what they do. I feel that teachers, though, are taken advantage of. They should be making a lot more money and be recognized more, because there would be no doctors, lawyers, or politicians without being taught by teachers. Even as early as three years old teachers give the foundation of learning to each child. This is also why I think teachers feel that they need more recognition in their career and in society. One question that I thought of is, "How do males teachers feel and think about working in a dominantly female career?

As adults why is it so hard to voice our opinions, but children are able to do it so easily?

While reading the quote from Maxine Greene, it opened my eyes that children are being taught to voice their own opinions and understand that it is good to have their own opinions. As a child, I was shy and didn't voice my own opinions very often. Growing up in a military household it wasn't easy to voice my opinions either. Being able to voice our own opinions enable us to feel we have our own place in this big world. The quote also helped me understand that children need an envionment that help them discover, risk, and ask questions. These attributes all help children learn how to be creative and use their imaginations. They need people around them to help them accomplish these things. Allowing children to be creative in the classroom is important for them to grow and develop skills needed for the future.

Learning about the Neo-Socratic Method reminded me of the classroom I work in, partially becuase I hear the children reflecting, asking questions, talking about experiences, expressing ideas, and arguing their opinions and views. I see the children make connections during their play and learning, which they are thinking and concentrtating. This amazes me that children are able to do this so well, while it's so hard for us adults to do these things. Being able to do these things during the day, children will learn how to go through these steps while talking or writing about their own ideas and views.