Blog Assignment #9

Jessica Tabije

Blog Assignment #9

Bring Your Vision to Life

                 Lettie integrated the whole triangle into her leadership work program.  She mostly focused on building and supporting her community, then the management and overseeing the program and finally coaching and mentoring of her staff.  First of all, she took the time to bond with the families by going out into the community to know them personally.  She also asked family members to bring in family photos and stories to share.  Her motive was to have a supporting and welcoming friendship between one another.  She planned family meetings towards building relationships.  She also planned two Saturdays to work with parents and staff to install the new natural play space for the program.  The next part of the triangle was focused on managing and overseeing the resources like time, money, skills and the knowledge it took to make the vision come to a reality.  Finally, Lettie worked with her staff to help with coaching and mentoring.  She did this with her first invitation on having her staff come with her to visit the different model programs to build their own vision statement.  Then with the help of her staff together they held group conferences to connect with families.  They also met on the Saturdays that was chosen to build a natural play space for the children.

                If I were to put relationships first as what Lettie did in her thought process on building her lasting program I would first start with the communication between staff and then work with the community.  I would need a strong, trusting, team that will be willing to work well with each other and that all starts with communication.  If they can’t let each other know how they feel about the work place then there wouldn’t be a comfortable environment to work for.

                I would describe Lettie as hard working to get to the community and to earn their trust.  She knows what her families need and their wants in order to keep them happy, comfortable, and interested in her program.  As in the example with the child Emily, Lettie addressed the families concerns about Emiliy and how her aggressive behavior would affect their children.  While the other families came together on finding a way to help Emily instead of addressing her negative behavior.  They all found ways to give positive and firm guidance towards Emily’s behavior.  Lettie was so happy that the group worked the problem out together.

                I could use some constructive ways on coaching and mentoring my co-workers.  I’m not so easy to praise or give praise.  I’ve learned to address the children on what they are doing instead of plain old good job or good work.  My teachers once told me that we should address what the child is doing like, “I see all the colors you are using or You’re using red, brown, and black Joey.”  I also practice the words, “I like how you’re brushing your tongue Jordan,” instead of good job.  When it comes to my co-workers I tend to do the same and say, “I like how you added the children’s artwork to the classroom.  Thank you Anna.”  I feel like if I had more praise to give to my co-workers I would be more welcoming.  It’s also hard for me to keep everyone to follow all the rules when it comes to cell phone usage on the play ground.  I constantly remind them to keep their focus on the children, but it doesn’t seem to work.  I’ve shared my issues with my supervisor and the problem continues.    

Blog Assignment 4: Practice Assessing Yourself

Reflect on the analysis you did of the two situations on pages 66-68. 

What side of the triangle felt more familiar to you or was easier to generate responses for? 

I felt strongly towards the managing and overseeing side of the triangle, but I also felt an all around familiarity towards all the sides.  As lead teacher in the classroom I have a lot of responsibility to make sure other staff members are following routines, rules, and their responsibilities.  If not, then gentle reminders will be communicated through verbal communication and understanding.  I am constantly reminded myself through my supervisor that it is in policy and procedures the rules and regulations of the classroom.  This is why I will relay the message to my co-workers from our supervisor.  

Which side seems more difficult for you to work with? 

To be honest I felt an even spread thoughout the triangles but if I had to pick a side that was most difficult it would have to be the coaching and mentoring.  Its something that our program has started and so far its been working.  Our coach will come in and give us suggestions and we will put them to use in the classroom.  For example, our observations need to be done once a month.  I had none done but I did have them on my camera.  My coach suggested putting my observations on post its in a binder.  I've since used the suggestion to compile and record all of my observations.

After this exercise, consider any goals you want to set for yourself to cultivate a more balanced approach to directing from each side of the triangle.  The following chapters are designed to help you to explore how to better use each of the three components of our triangle framework.  The ideas and strategies offered may help you move closer to your goals.

My own personal goals will be to set a time management system.  I'd like to be organized as in the business world where I can make time for paperwork, telephone calls, meetings, and emails.  I find myself doing a little bit of everything and not quiet finishing one task.  As I've learned from my business class in Ebert and Griffin its all about basic management skills that leads into my time management skills.  It will help me to make productive use of my time and be effective to not waste my time.

Blog Assignment 3: Scenario 2

Scenario 2:  Messing with Michael

	Managing and Overseeing	Coaching and Mentoring	Building and Supporting Community
Issues	The director has discussed the issue of the disarray of the classroom and for him to spend more time and energy in cleaning and keeping tidy.  Michael has objected and stated that it’s a learning experience for the children.	The director has given him his space to reflect his teaching philosophy.  She has also allowed him to express his beliefs of teaching the children responsibility in having to clean up after them to learn self help skills.	If Michael wants to teach the children about responsibility then maybe he could incorporate the families as well to build support from outside of the classroom.  Families can help children keep clean by also practicing this routine at home by having chores and their own responsibilities like setting the table, sorting the clothes or sorting the recycles.
Strategies	First of all Michael needs to make sure he reads over his job description handbook.  He should be following the professional standards and expectations.  He should also be an effective communicator with the director about his belief and the directors’ understanding of sanitary cleanliness.  The director needs to schedule a performance review and evaluation on Michael.	Michael will be offered opportunities to gain self assessment and goal setting for his beliefs and philosophy of the classroom.  We will allow him some time to practice the new skills and understandings that he will learn from our workshops that will be offered during naptime to staff.  The director would like a response to the learning box called, A Thinking Lens for Reflection that will be done quarterly by each staff.	I can see that Michael is teaching a sense of belonging and self help skills for the children, but they also need a little help and maybe some bonding to teach them that being neat and clean helps to promote a connection to your community as you work together to keep clean.  Michael will have to gain the insight to the cultures of the families to help him shape the individual lives in his program and classroom.

Blog Assignment #3: Triangle Framework

Scenario 1:  New Director Dilemma

	Managing and Overseeing	Coaching and Mentoring	Building and Supporting Community
Issues	Both Mary Beth and Katrina just need to give respect to the new director and accept changes within the program for the best and most positive reasons.  Change is good especially when the director gives suggestions.  The director needs to also start coordinating training workshops and staff meetings to go over performance reviews and evaluations individually.  The director needs to set up goals and plans for the program and for the individual employee.	Charts, pictures and toys need to be updated, we have the money and the resources to make changes, and we just have to put in the time.  Curriculum needs to be about process not product oriented.  Children will be engaged if it is their work not teacher guided, they need to be able to express themselves through art with paint, glue, pens, tissue paper, play dough, or art stampers.	We are here as a team and need to continue to work as a team.  We don’t want to encourage others to follow in the footsteps of defiant behavior.  We need to build a sense of support, bonding, and relationship between staff, families, and community.  If we don’t have a feeling of warmth in the classroom between each other then the families will not feel comfortable in leaving their children in our care.
Strategies	According to the scenario the classroom of teachers need to establish an effective communication system between director and teachers, the director needs to organize some training options and coordinate staff meetings, also conduct performance reviews and evaluations of the staff on work ethics.	Here we will offer teachers with some self assessments and goal settings, allow for teachers to practice new skills and apply new understandings of curriculum and lesson planning from workshops held on the weekends, invites staff to do new research, provide feedback and support for teachers growth and change, also group together mentoring relationships amongst co-teachers.	Staff will continue to design their classroom with a sense of belonging and personality, respect each individuals opinions that are shared, build outside relationships with other programs in the community, build family and cultural connections to establish bonds throughout the program.

A Framework for Your Work

Upon reading the chapter in the beginning where I begin to walk in the door, it just so happens that this past week I felt the same way as this exact scenario.  My parents walked in the door with all seven of my children in tow and no co-teacher in sight.  One of my families asked me, "Is it just you?"  I said with a smile, "Someone should be coming in soon."  In a classroom with children of various ages ranging from 18 months to two and a half, we have a 1 to 4 teacher ratio.  15 minutes had passed and I called my supervisor, she told me to send three of my students to the next class because they had 2 adults.  I did as she said and remained calm with my four boys at the breakfast table.  What would one do in an event like this one but to remain calm?  I actually put on some music and danced around with the boys.  Its not often we get to have only the four of us in a classroom to ourselves.  We danced to music and marched around the classroom with smiles and laughter in the air.

On another point, Carter and Curtis also uses the American Heritage College Dictionary to define balance as a stable mental or psychological state, a harmonious arrangement of parts or elements, as in a design; the difference in magnitude between opposing forces or influences.  We have to be flexible in the early childhood field.  Our schedules that are posted in our classes are tentative, but as much as we try to stick to our routines.  We may just have stories and singing on the outside playground instead of at "circle time."  I also felt that the balance comes in handy with time management skills.  At PACT, there is an ongoing load of paper work after paper work with ASQ's and ASQ S/E's.  We have to make sure these are completed in a timely fashion accordling to the child's well baby check months, and then filed.  When that is done we will go through the the same cycle again, its just none stop.  Again, balance, the great part about being a preschool teacher is that I get to run, exercise, pretend, sing, and play along with the kids in my class.  This is how I feel Mary Catherine Bateson of Composing a Life expresses balance.  I enjoy singing in my classroom with my children, we sing to brushing our teeth, cleaning up, marching down to the playground, being thankful for our food, and just for the fun of it.  Being creative is the best attitude in a classroom full of children.  How do you keep your classroom fun and creative?  How would you keep the attention going from the children?  What could possibly be more interesting than Joann's sparkly sandals?  Who will rescue you from a room full of yelling and screaming?   

Blog Assignment #2

Jessica Tabije

ECED 420

Iorio

9/14/11

Blog Assignment 2:  Read page 43 and follow the exercises described.  Write your responses and the possible questions that might emerge for you.

Page 43:  Take a minute to assess yourself.  Do you see yourself as a risk taker?  A visionary?  Are you satisfied with how things are in your program, in your profession, and in society at large?  How close to your dream are you?  Which one of the following statements feels more like you?

My vision for our program goes far beyond what is typically discussed in our professional literature.  I have big dreams and am willing to work to achieve them.

As Carter and Curtis state that management goes beyond the focus at hand, and extends to our vision that expands while at the same time our vision grows.  This is the feeling I have when it comes to the program that I work for.  I will focus to what I need to do in front of me, then I will also go further for the families I care for and give an extra helping hand.  For example, when a family needs to apply for WIC or Helping Hands, I will make sure they have all their resources and paper work to turn in on their appointment.  Some families will tend to not bring in all the documents for the appointment.  Then I will have to motivate this family to collect all the needed paper work so they can complete the process.  I try to encourage them that this is for their benefit and for their child.  For instance, when we complete your WIC appointment you can get free food items like milk which is expensive and you can use your money to buy something else needed.  Sometimes the family will think about how important it is to get this type of assistance and other times it may not be as important.

The second part of the statement which says, “I have big dreams and am willing to work to achieve them” is so true to me.  My biggest dream is to in turn teach college early childhood classes, but first I would need to take the steps to complete my bachelor’s degree and continue onto my masters degree which is a big dream of mine.  It isn’t unattainable just at a far reach.  I know I can work hard enough to make this dream of mine into a reality.

Blog Assignment #1

Jessica Tabije

ECED 420

Iorio

9/11/11

Chapter 1:  Guiding your program with a Vision

The members of our profession are predominantly female, and in a world where resources are controlled by predominantly male priorities, we struggle to be taken seriously.   To get the recognition and support they need, women tend to do what is expected of them-color within the lines and play the game according to the rules.  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.”  If we spoke the bigger truth and acknowledged that most of our programs are mediocre at best, we’d feel like failures.  Politically, we’d be shooting ourselves in the foot.  Most of us early childhood professionals prefer to confine our sights to what seems possible, rather than face the pain of what Langston Hughes called “a dream deferred.”  Thus we strain under multiple stresses and minimal resources, and our work force continues to turn over at a disturbing rate. 

Specific blog assignment: 

1.      How do you respond to this paragraph? 

The paragraph is absolutely correct.  I’ve been in the field for over ten years and I’ve noticed that the field is managed by women.  As from experience the turnover rate is constantly moving.  I can count the times I’ve changed schools for various reasons like continuing education, family reasons, pay up grades, conflicts with a co-worker, or moving to a different island.  In our field there’s always work out there for us.  Thankfully, I’ve never has a problem getting a job in early childhood education as a preschool or toddler teacher.

2.      Are there experiences or ideas that compare to this reading?

The quote of “We are doing such a good job with children; please give us more recognition and resources” could mean many different things from different personal experiences.  In my opinion, we give our all for the children we care for in our classrooms, but sometimes we don’t have all the recognition or resources and we either make use with what we have or end up using our own personal resources.  One may feel that our pay may not compensate for all we do.  Sometimes we assist families with social services like financial assistance or transportation to doctor visits.  We go beyond our job description to help support our families.  We’re not social workers and sure don’t get paid as social workers but we give from the heart knowing that we can help not only the child but the family.

3.      What questions emerge for you?

Sometimes I would ask myself am I in the right profession?  Should I be in the social services field?  Will the economy ever change that our salary be more?  How much more will my salary be once I receive my bachelor’s degree?  How will being in the early childhood field help me in the long run as in profession wise?  How long will I have to work in the field until I can work in the administration department?

How difficult is it for a child to think outside of the box without being told what to do? Is it his work or is it the teacher's work?

As Socrates puts his method into view; questioning, thinking, expressing, and arguing comes to mind in my opinion as in experiences.  I encourage experiences that children encounter in the classroom by means of thinking and allowing children to explore the unknown.  What will really happen if a child continuously pours sand outside of the sandbox?  Will he think about scooping and putting it all back into the sandbox?  Will he pour out all the sand until there is no more in the sandbox?  Or will he stop and think that he needs to keep the sand in the sandbox as he is told by his teacher.  We don't exactly know why do we.  I think about this everyday when a child is pouring sand out of the sandbox. 

Socrates also states that the more thought we put into our discussion, more questions and answers will be fulfilled.  More thought can be developed into imagination, ones imagination comes from personal experiences.  If children are given opportunities to imagine and explore maybe then our thought processes will click.  For example, the child who pours sand out of the sandbox could be building a pyramid as he sees this big mound of sand to develop.  If a child is safe, should he be able to imagine and explore?  Yes, but then there are rules.  Socrates says express and argue, give your point of view.