What does a center consist of when the director has mastered all the sides of the triangle?

Involving what your program will be like through the triangle is what Lettie did. She used all sides of the triangle while brainstorming and performing the new actions of the center. Lettie made communication meaningful by involving families in interactions and storytelling, inviting families to participate in communication systems, such as the use of blogs within the classrooms. She planned meetings in which the teachers and families participated in discussion about their children and held group family conferences as well. She also had the families be part of the rebuilding of the playground by getting them and their children actively involved in the activities.

If I were to put relationships center stage in my management, coaching and community building routines, I would want to revamp the way teachers get their teachers involved in the school and in the classroom. I feel when parents are more involved in their child's schooling, the relationship between themselves and the teacher will grow and strengthen, Furthermore, the parent and child will strengthen their relationship by doing things together in the classroom, such as activities, field trips, singing songs, reading books, artwork, cooking, etc.

I would describe Lettie's disposition to be a real relationship advocate. She really enjoys building and having relationships in the classroom the school, and in the community. I feel that I should strengthen building relationships with families. That is one of the most important aspects of a teacher and a director. To be able to have a good relationship with the family it will give you, the child, the school, and the community better opportunities to learn new things and develop. I really enjoyed reading about the journaling Lettie had brought up. It seemed really interesting and a good way to communicate with families.

I feel that Michelle trying to better her center by having the teachers become advocates in learning and planning with other teachers and mentors is how she brought leadership to the school. She made the decision to invest in her teachers right from the start, which is a great thing to, especially when trying to get preschoolers to have higher education. These new teachers are receiving the information needed to run their classroom and to be mentored by other teachers in the school. My own director does this in my center. For the first week or so she pairs new staff up with a mentor teacher and they learn and follow them.

I think having the interview with other potential hire-es was too over the top. That would make me so nervous, because it would feel more of a competition between other applicants. I wouldn't do that. Putting that type of competitive pressure on someone is not a good idea. I can see her disposition on this, but in my opinion, I wouldn't do it. I would conduct a regular interview and maybe have a series of interviews for potential hire-es, but I wouldn't put someone on the spot such as Michelle did.

I feel that when she invested in her teachers right from the start and providing side-by-side mentoring appealed to me, because they work. You want your teachers to know what they are doing from the start and learn the new procedures and how the school runs. Having new employees learn from regular staff can build relationships and new things can be learned by both the mentor and the new employee. I think I could imagine myself developing teachers as thinkers not technicians. Just like Michelle said, "Who is the self that teaches?" Having teachers reflect and think about questions and things that go on in the classroom will help teachers become more positive thinkers and will be able to contribute their knowledge with the rest of the team.