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?
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ReplyDeleteI liked your statement at the end of your first paragraph, "Sometimes, as humans, we should sacrifice some of our time to do something to make someone's life a little more easier." What a true statement, and I feel it is something that you do not see very often.
ReplyDelete-I had someone recently ask me if I could pick her daughter up from school a few times that week, because she was going to be off island and Grandma was in charge while she was gone. Well she didn't want Grandma stressing too much, so she asked if I could help out! With out knowing much more, I told her, no problem, I could definitely help out! When I mentioned it to a friend, her first question was "How much is she paying you to do that?!" Well that thought had never even occurred to me, I just thought I was doing a favor for someone! And sometimes people just need a little extra help. Why is it these days that we can't just help someone out of kindness and compassion without expecting anything in return!
Especially in a situation like you talked about Ashley. It sounds like your director is a VERY busy person and could use a little extra help and support anywhere she can get it. I agree that working at an early childhood center is like having a big family (with LOTS of kids :), and in my family, when Mom was stressed out and over worked, everybody else was stressed out too! Its very important to be aware of everyone in your program so that you are able to notice if anyone is over worked, or there hard work is going unnoticed!
I think sacrifices will have to be made at times, but I do believe that if it consistently cuts into important time you should be spending with your family, then changes need to be made. As a "family" at that program, other options should be discussed and decided on. The director may be in charge but everyone that works there is an important part of that community and should be trustworthy and reliable! Some sacrifices are good and necessary , but sometimes you need to have discernment about the situation and if there are any other options or possibilities
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteInteresting question -- how far are you willing to go in terms of sacrifices as an administrator? Back when I was a teacher in a preschool classroom, the director was far removed from what happened in the classroom. She would often state that she was very involved in the classroom but conversations and interactions with the children where few and far between. As a professor, I observed a director at a local site here on the floor with a group of toddlers, playing with the children. Although the director was in conversation with me, he continued to connect over and over again with the children. At times, I was even secondary to his moments with the children. Considering both of these examples, what were the sacrifices of the directors? Maybe the question could be rethought -- what are the priorities of these directors? How might an understanding of priority influence decision making as an administrator of a center?
Jeanne
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI liked your question because it made me think, how far am I willing to go to make things work. You are right by saying that being a director is a busy position to be in. There are days when I have to time myself that my work has to stop because I have to go home and make time for my family. So, I am not only balancing the center's needs and wants, but my personal life.
When I am in the classrooms oberserving the staff and children, my staff will ask me how late I stayed the nIght before and I'll tell them. I'll sometimes wonder if they care or trying to make conversation. Who will be the director's substitute when the director wants a day off? Who will give the director a true 15 mintue break? Does the person give that all up when they step into the director roll?
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteWhen does dedication as a program director start to become detrimental? At what point does dedication become too much? Is there such a point? It sounds like your program director is a tremendous asset – how do you feel about her position and the stress that come with it? Do you think this is normal for most, if not all, program directors? If so, what drives program directors to keep plugging away? Chapter 2 paints a bleak picture of what it means to be a program director, with all the emotional challenges they face. However, my experiences with program directors have shown me that there are those that do it with ease and grace. What do you think separates these two types of directors (the one’s who experience burnout versus the one’s that make it look easy)?