Specific Blog Assignment 8- Practice with Stories

Becky uses management skills that focus on deadlines, checklists, and curriculum planning.  This meeting-the-deadline type of approach follows rules and regulations that may be set by higher personnel. 

Yolanda enjoys the interactions and impact the teachers have with their children.  By having such meaningful interactions, the classroom has a more rich environment, yet reflecting on how activities can be strengthened by individuals.

What goals do Becky and Yolanda seem to have for their programs?
Becky's goals seem to be more paper driven; to meet deadlines, to enhance curriculum as far as what is on paper, documentation of individual planning, and assessments.

Yolanda sets goals that will allow her teachers to think of activities that are meaningful and engaging while also meeting individual needs.

What strategies and approaches are they each using to reach their goals?
 Becky is being a manager that uses authority.  She debriefs with more focus of what Juanita is not doing 
and telling her what she should do instead of assisting her with her struggles and reconfirming support.

Yolanda's strategy is being a coach where she supports, encourages, provides insight, and offers questions that promotes higher level thinking for teachers to be more meaningful, and effective.

How do Becky and Yolanda's approaches encourage or undermine reflective practice and teacher dispositions needed for a caring, learning community?
Becky's approach undermines Juanita's abilities and does not support her challenges.  Her authoritative style simply provides instruction without meaning, it needs to be done like this and by this date.  

Yolanda's approach encourages her team to think, reflect, and apply.  This coach/mentor style promotes a positive relationship that improves classroom instruction yet respects the role of teacher and director.

 The textbook stated, "When you are working with caregivers to enhance their understanding and nurture certain dispositions and skills, you will be most effective if you take off your manager's hat.  If you invest in cultivating mentoring skills, you set the stage for staff members to become more autonomous, self-initiated learners."  As a coach for many youth sports, I operate more from the coaching-and-mentoring side of the triangle, but as I continue to learn, this may change to become a balance of all sides of the triangle.  What type of director do you see yourself as?

"What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put into those hours." ~unknown   

 

How can a director provide effective training that has a positive outcome for all staff?

A director should build an individual relationship with each staff member just as a relationship is built between a teacher and child.  By having a relationship, the director can individualize training that is interesting.  Also, there are different learning styles, so understanding the different learning styles can make any training more interesting if the staff member have options.  On page 145 in the textbook, there is an example of a training with multiple intelligences in mind; spatial, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, kinesthetic, musical, and verbal-linguistic.  Through my experience, the trainings that I have enjoyed were hands-on and interactive.  By making it fun instead of reading verbatim, I am able to retain information.  Providing a training is like coaching, everyone needs to learn the play, but they all learn in different ways.  With patience, understanding, support, and encouragement, one must create the training and utilize the different intelligences for everyone to personally enjoy and comprehend what is being taught or understanding the purpose of the training. 

Specific Blog Assignment 7

Architect-  balance, aesthetics, purpose, connection to environment, respectful and caring of client (keiki), flexible to changes or request, hands-on, creative, patient, passionate

Weaver- appreciate diversity, ability to integrate policies, standards, laws, and individualism, accepting differences in every way, openness and willing to learn, appreciate the old while accepting the new, creative, patient, passionate

Sculptor- Focused, goal-oriented, flexible, creative, patient, passionate

Mediator- balanced, neutral, patient, caring, understanding, passionate

Horticulturist- passionate, environmental appreciation and awareness, caring, patient

For each profession, one must be passionate of what they do and enjoy it.  Being in the early childhood education field is not easy, but it is definitely rewarding if you are passionate about it.  Making an emotional connection with commitment allows you to enjoy, appreciate, and really make a difference in the classroom.  Being an educator is a mixture of multiple professions; coach, counselor, politician, nurse, manager, police officer, and many more.  I have learned that one of my strengths is self-reflection.  Having the awareness of my abilities allows me to adjust and make necessary changes towards a greater outcome.  By learning of different community agencies and resources, I can reach out to the community and have a larger impact in my classroom.

Specific Blog Assignment 6

Daily routines are important for children to understand what is first and what comes after.  It is transitions that may be challenging for children.  As educators, we mostly interact with our parents at drop off and pick up.  Utilizing these times to make our parents feel valued as their child(ren) helps build a strong parent and teacher relationship which enhances the child and teacher relationship. 
This reading connects in my classroom as I have children who often come to school in their pajamas.  By supporting the child and parent, we make the child feel comfortable and allow her or him to change their clothes when they are ready.  As we begin our day with songs in the morning, we encourage the parents to stay and join us.  We have activities every morning for the child and parent to do together because giving five minutes to their child is very valuable.  These may go from reading a story, writing in a journal, playing with manipulatives, to more teacher directed activities.  We have included a couch to add coziness and comfort for the parents and children to cuddle, read, or just have quiet time.  However, what works now may not work for the next group of children we receive.  Reflecting on what works and what doesn't work always one to rethink their strategies, activities and purpose.  

Specific Blog Assignment 5

This story is very influential as everyone involved is their to love and support the child they are honoring.  Having such support never seemed like as you are honoring the child, but having a meeting to better help the child is only because everyone cares.  I have never experienced a meeting like this one.  All of the meetings I have been to seems more like a process, not a celebration.  I have just completed a meeting with a family where we can all better help the child, be more consistent as a family.  This meeting felt more like we were all on  the same page as we support and care for this child.  Having a cultural or ritual celebration prior to the meeting seems very joyful, but I have never experienced one as the educator is usually calling the meeting.  Having a celebration and prayer prior to the meeting sets a stage for a positive outcome.  If this happened to you, would you feel comfortable if this was not your culture? or would you put your personal feelings aside and come into an agreement for the child?  How can you improve your meetings with parents?

As a new staff member, how do you express changes you would like to make in the program where you are the lowest ranking and the most experience teacher is set in her ways and likes the way it's been for years? How can you speak up without being disrespectful and causing tension?

Hana is a community where the cultural aspect of "The child is raised by the village" still takes place.  Hawaiian culture and community is very relevant in the classroom and it makes living in Hana so special.  The children here have the opportunity to participate in many cultural events and the children are supported by all.  After reading the chapter, I always self reflect on my role as an educator.  Since I have started at the preschool, I have made changes to my classroom, but t is very hard to make changes to the whole without support.  As new educators our learning is different than 20 years ago.  Because of this change in early education, how can I respectfully go about make changes that I believe has a positive impact for all when the seasoned teachers disagree or are not supportive.  I have picked what things I feel is important to change, and I started with small things first.  It seems as if I have to prove that these changes are beneficial.  I don't want to cause any tension.  I have a vision for the children and all I ask is to try. 

The reading really makes me see the role of a director and the dedication and sometimes hardship that will be faced when changes are made.  How can a curriculum be used year after year when you have new children?  We are our own community as a center, and can embrace the greater community as they have a lot to offer.  Each child, parent, and families are unique and special in their own way.  Encouraging families to participate in the classroom can have a positive outcome.  How do you show community and family in your classroom?  Is it reflected in your environment?

Feeling Better

My frustration level has decreased significantly.  Thanks to my kumu for assisting me and letting me know that it is ok to ask for help, I don't have to try and figure things out on my own.  Now I am ready to rock my ECED 420 class.

frustrated

I don't understand why I am using blogger for school as laulima has a discussion and chat tab.  This is the most difficult online class I am taking because blogging is so foreign to me, so I am trying my hardest to figure this out.  Good luck to me!