Assignment #5
Wow…! That word pretty much sums up every emotion I had while I read this
example. I have never heard of such a thing during any of my classes or reading
while I’ve been studying, volunteering, and working on the field. This school
and culture seems to have a deep respect towards a child needing help. It seems
that it this meeting is in no way seen as a negative or exhausting thing. I can
imagine that some would feel burdened by the responsibility to attend and
create an IEP plan for a child because it is tedious and a collaborative
effort; but not these people. I really found the words and reminders shared at
the beginning of the meeting useful and touching, because it is true. It’s
refreshing, and I feel that if we all opened discussions or meeting about our
children like this, things may be done and taken more positively. For example,
my first experience doing parent teacher conferences: With the first couple
sets of parents, the lead teacher kind of jumped right in with more critical
things, and I could tell that the parents got quickly defensive and concerned.
After those few, I suggested if I could open with a blanket statement that, “all
children have unique personalities, interests, and strengths; and that we all
develop at different levels. Our job is to look and find ways we can help their
child improve.” All the meeting which followed seemed to be more pleasant for
all parties involved J
Assignment #6
The
first thing that came to mind while reading the strategy was separation
anxiety. Although we do not have the challenge of children arriving in pajama’s
at a critical time of the day, we do have a few children who occasionally
scream bloody murder when it’s time for their parents to walk out the door. One
strategy listed that I feel would be beneficial at our program is to, “Create
consistent rituals for the beginning and ending of the day that families can
participate in, such as singing, dancing, or playing music to signal these
times.” The thing is, the teacher I am currently working with, who has had years
of experience in the field, feels that it is not good for parents to “linger,”
and that doing so makes it harder for the child. But I feel that if the
children had a moment ‘at school’ to participate in something fun with their
parent, it may ease the anxiety of their parent leaving because they will
hopefully be happily engaged in an activity going on with the entire class.
Less time to be worrying about mommy, daddy, grandpa, or whoever it is- leaving
them. I also love the idea of a, “cozy corner for families,” because families
will feel more warm and welcomed when you are providing them a place to spend a
bit of time with their child. But for this strategy, should there be a
guideline for how long they should stay with their child trying to ease the transition?
Would being there with them for 15min prior to transition time be more or less
affective compared to a shorter time of maybe 3-5 minutes?
How
can I tell a teacher who has been in the field for about 30 years that I think
these strategies may be a good thing, if she feels that “lingering parents” is
more of a negative thing?
Assignment #7
Skills Affecting my Community Building
Roles
Architect:
spatial awareness, organization, care, cultural knowledge
Weaver:
social, attentive, comforting, positive
Sculptor,
Meditator, Horticulturalist: Gentle, patient, calm, hopeful, positive,
purposeful
These
skills would apply to my work as a director because I feel that directors need
to have such a wide range of skills to deal with all that they must manage and
do every single day. They need to plan and be organized for meeting, staffing,
etc. They need to communicate and be social with many people in a positive
manner. And they need to be patient and purposeful through all of their
challenges as a director. These are just a few of the many, many skills that I
feel directors must practice in order to be at their fullest potential.
What
I’m amazed with is how many people directors seem to have to communicate and
meet with. It seems as if they are the piece that connects everyone together.
Aloha Elena,
ReplyDeleteI agree about directors. This course has brought continued respect for directors and all they do. When meeting and talking with people, to me that takes skills and ability to do. I get drained being around people most of the time because it takes my full attention to listen, think and respond. Directors have to do this on a daily basis. What other profession would your glean from if you were a director? Why? How can we incorporate these skills into our current work as educators?
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteHmmmm - you have me thinking with your blog. I wonder first about the purpose of teaching -- is the purpose of teaching improvement? Are teachers meant to help children improve? If so, how are teachers viewing children foundational? Is it as something that is less, something that needs to be "improved"? What might be the teacher's purpose if the view of the child is child as capable and competent? Does the first line of the conference begin with something else? Would the purpose and structure of the conference change with the view the child as capable? How might the people in scenario from the text view the child? As they all gather together to discuss -- is the view of the child as capable? As you consider the child as capable, how might the director be constructed?
This also makes me wonder about how mentorship might also be part of this discussion of child as capable. If children are viewed as capable and teacher are viewed as researchers -- how might hte mentorship of teachers occur? If a seasoned teacher viewes herself as a reseracher, is reflection and rethinking always part of practice? Are collaboration and feedback essential to teacher as researcher? Does this change in perspective challenge sesaoned teachers to see some practices as otherwise?
Jeanne
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteIn assignment five, you talk about opening the parent-teacher conference with a blanket statement. My own lead teacher would do this and I found that many of the parents would be little more relaxed then when they came in. She would also let them know if they had any questions at any point to ask and between sections she would ask if there were any concerns. As for your question in assignment six, that is a tough one and the only thing I can think of is a compromise. May be you could ask if she would at least let you try having a cozy area for a week? Have you tried giving parents suggestions on preparing their child for the school the night before? As a director how would deal with this situation where a season teacher is not open to change?