Today it was a challenge to be a professional when faced with a petulant self absorbed miserable little so-and-so ... on the bright side, all the children were gorgeous (even the challenging ones) ... pity about their carer (I wont even use the word educator to describe her) ...
I know that sounds harsh ... but it was like being in high school ... Passive aggressive bullying.
I'm there to be with the kids and to teach them ... I'm a teacher, not a stop-gap measure for ratios ... I'm a TEACHER and that is what I do ... I see what the kids might like, or what they need, and then I provide it.
And I'm struggling with the room which is all from a website ... its all prescribed and structured and boring ... Its all printed out in colour, laminated and then put on the walls and every which place ... That is not a project! They are following themes and then doing highly structured stencil craft on that theme ... I can't call it art. I just can't. And the room is so insanely visually busy that people dont even notice what is in there! It doesnt even tie in with their current play 'themes' ... I can tell you 3 different things that I am doing with them that they are really loving and really embracing (but due to being somewhat anonymous, I'm not going to at this point!)
I just don't appreciate people being nasty ... and I'm dealing with it as best I can ... but its such a struggle sometimes. In fact, this reminds me of another situation I was once faced with ... when someone you work with wants to be "best buddies" with you ... and you just aren't feeling it ya know? Then because you aren't as in to them, they then start getting petty and creating drama ... I wonder if its that? Or if perhaps its because the children are really engaging so well with what I'm providing for them?
Can't it just be about the children? Can't it just be about spending time with them, giving them wonderful memorable moments that support them to grow and be happy and enthusiastic? And these aren't "my" kids! I just met them not so long ago and they are just delightful - even the ones that are a bit difficult! They are so much more chilled out that my old group, and I might add there are more of them AND there are more developmental issues ... and this feels like a working holiday compared to the hair-pulling I went through before! I don't feel so bad as an educator now! They were a difficult group! I struggled. I'm human. I walked.
I just don't get it!? Its not about YOU! Its not about YOU standing there TELLING them what they should LEARN! Its not about interrogating them on a subject and then calling it "their voice" or "their ideas" ...
They say way more interesting things than "the sky is blue" or "cows go moo" just because you did a whole theme on such and such.
But hey ... each to their own ... She would so hate working with me on a long term full time basis ... I would totally upset her prescribed boat of blandness.
Ok, that was a bit narky. Oh scrap it, I'm feeling narky! So, I'm embracing it.
Rant over.
Thanks for this space to express.
T.ink
(c) Teacher's Ink.
Join me as I design and create my preschool classroom for 2023. Hi! I'm GiGi and I'll be teaching in a preschool classroom in 2023. I get to design the space and the curriculum, and I cannot wait to see what amazing things we can learn this year.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Oh. So. Tired.
Just started back working full-time hours and I am exhausted!
Plus there has been other complications ...
But I've been having interesting experiences ... I'll have to do some reflecting!
Hopefully dramas go away, I get used to working f/t again ... and then I can play with this!
XoXo
T.ink
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
$1 Dinosaurs ...
I found some dinosaurs when I was wandering around BigW one weekend ... $1x4=$4 ... Not a bad investment ... Yeah I know, they're plastic not so fantastic BUT they're durable ... just imagine all the fun that would occur out in a rough patch of garden?
Four Dinosaurs Roar!
This is my favourite dinosaur ... Of all time! Its a stegosaurus! I think that its important that you have a favourite dinosaur. This is the dinosaur that one of my students from a couple of years back, dubbed the one that goes "ching-ching" with its tail ... I just LOVED that and I won't ever forget it. This is the Dino that goes Ching-Ching!
And this is Lukey's dinosaur ... Lukey LOVED the brontosaurus in our room ... it was a light blue ... lighter blue than this one ... it was his. His favourite, and his character when they played. All the kids knew it. They would find it after he'd discarded it, and they would take it to him even if he were playing in the sandpit or on his bed. Now that dinosaur belonged to Lukey, and Lukey belonged to him.
This makes me remember once something I'd wanted to do with the kids and the dinosaurs ... I never finished it mind you - things happened and time passed and the kids lost interest and I didnt have time to complete the project ... But we took the dinosaurs outside to the blushland reserve adjacent to our service. We set them up in different ways and took photos ... then we came "home" to school and we started to write a story using MS Publisher with the pictures ... I made speach bubbles for when the dinosaurs would have something to say ... it was hillarious!
So I share this idea with you ... Take some critters or creatures, dinosaurs or animals or people - set them up in spaces indoors or out and take photos of them ... Then write a story about it ... print and enjoy! Or you could be more organised than I was, and write the story first, then use the characters to illustrate it ;)
At some point (maybe) ... I will find where specifically this relates to the EYLF ... but just off the top of my head - this would be the children driving the curriculum - making choices, being creative, using technology, literacy and communication, as well as working collaboratively ...
Enjoy!
T.ink.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Just Another Day Book Sample
This is just another version of the same sort of thing that I would do from time to time ... I wouldnt write anything at all myself ~ I'd involve the children and interview them ... These are the sorts of things they would say ...
The Day Book ~ My Style Explained V.2
Like last time ... I've added numbers as reference points ... Numbers 1-4 are explained in my previous post as well as number 7 ... I'm hoping its not too confusing but I didnt want to cut and paste it and add numbers in different orders etc. I'm assuming you have read or will read V.1!
1.
See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html
2.
See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html
3.
See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html
4.
See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html
5.
This is where I got clever a couple of years ago
when it was suggested that I show the children’s voice more – this was even
before the EYLF ... So I would call some children over and simply ask them a
few different version of essentially the same questions:
a.
What did you play today?
b.
What did you like playing today?
c.
What did you learn today?
d.
What was the best part of your day at school?
It really depended upon who I was
talking to – their language and comprehension skills etc. But you get the idea
... ask an open ended question about their play and then write down what they
have to say. This is their voice. Their words or voice reflecting upon their
day.
6.
This is where the author of the daybook is
acknowledged – and the staff for the day written as well. I’ve also previously
written what types of music we’ve listed to, or what we had for lunch so it was
all there for parents to read – a one stop shop.
7.
See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html
So this is just another version of what my
day book entries used to look like ...
Enjoy
T.ink.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The Day Book ~ My Style Explained V.1
I am titling this as "Day Book ~ My Style Explained V.1" because it's simply just that ... It's very general and I've written it using generic and nonsensical terms. I'm going to reflect more on this and either provide some different samples or some guiding questions.
I have also done a few different things over the years, so I will create some mock-ups of those and post them in the near (or not so distant) future and title them V.2 and V.3 etc. If you notice, I have placed numbers in the sections. The numbers are used as reference points to explain my thinking behind those sections below the image.
1. The
Title ... You can say what you want here ... I used to say “Monday’s Story” or
whatever day of the week it was ... You can have it focused on one aspect of
your learning environment – you can use the terminology that you are familiar
with for example I might have used “The Creative Child” (DOCS, 2005) and
written about our experiences in collage or perhaps the buildings that were
created in block area using stones, branches and pieces of fabric. The title
can be simple, or it can be a headline designed to grab peoples’ attention!
2. These
are the =main= events ... it is not EVERYTHING that was engaged with on the
day. This is just what was really important or where the most learning was
observed by the educators ... It might not be the most important leaning that
occurred – but you don’t have eyes and ears all over your head so you can’t see
and hear everything that happens everywhere all day long.
3. I don’t like being tied to a future idea ...
or curriculum decision so I use “POSSIBLE future directions” ... Its just the
ideas at the time of writing the day book entry ... overnight my ideas may
change, indeed while driving to work the ideas may change – or the children may
come up with their own ideas or in fact they may not want to move from the
place of learning they were at yesterday. I think we get so carried away with:
What are we going to plan next? When it is perfectly valid to just experience
NOW! Notice that I used terms like: more, less, repeat, extend and then
something new. Again, these are only ideas of where the possibilities might be.
They are not set in stone!
4. This
is where I write about the main events in more detail. You can relate them to
the EYLF (DEEWR, 2009) and the concepts held within the learning outcomes or any other aspect
of the EYLF you’d like to refer to. You can paraphrase or you can quote
directly. It’s up to you. There is no particular prescription about how this should
look. What you do need to be talking about and reflecting up on is children’s
learning – not so much the specific outcomes, but the processes. I like writing this as a narrative because it means that its a story, its personal, its reflective, you are speaking to your audience and sharing your thoughts, but you are also able to refer to the past, present and future in your expression. And that is "linking" and making connections within your curriculum. Remember curriculum is:
"Curriculum encompasses all the interactions, experiences, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning and development" DEEWR, 2009 pp. 9).
5. This
is where there is a space for families to write a comment to the children or
the service. They can share ideas or what they are thinking about what the
children are doing. I would strongly encourage you to ask families to share
their voice in the day book. I remember one mother’s comment about rainbows
which to this day, touches me. She was one of the main parents to read the day
book and be involved. Imagine how her child felt, knowing that her mother took
such a strong interest in her school.
If you have any questions or comments, please post them here or email them to me! I'd love to hear from you: teachersink [at] gmail dot com
T.Ink
Sunday, April 22, 2012
You're Programming Wrong!
“You’re doing it wrong” is what they were told about their
programming ...
So who is telling them that they are doing it wrong? Well,
it wasn’t the previous manager who has 15+ years experience working in children’s
services. It wasn’t the “validator” who assessed the service last year and
found them to be a service delivering high quality care and education (who
liked the system and methods).
It’s the new manager. This is her first job as a manager.
She is also young and hasn’t had her degree for very long, nor has she got a
great deal of experience in a variety of services. I think they were desperate to
hire someone consistent. It certainly doesn’t look good when you can’t find
staff for your service. Out of everything she could have done to improve the
team, the service, support the transition to the NQS, she chooses to attack the
programming and planning and declare that its “wrong”? Really? Is that the best
way of managing? Um, no, it’s not. The methods that she has suggested were also
bulky, cumbersome, time consuming, not presented professionally and is just going
to encourage people to return to scribbling decorations on a blank page to fill
the empty spaces because they can’t think of anything substantial to write. If
educators can’t fill one page of a daybook with reflections, how are they going
to fill double or triple the space? I know that she’s simply getting them to
work the way that she is used to, but it’s not about her.
The programming that a service does should be created by the
team for that particular service – what works for them? What physical resources
do they have available to them? (slide shows on photo frames or computer
screens? Printers? Computers? Photocopiers? Time to write?) What is their
philosophy? How is that reflected in the interactions with children? How does
all this relate to the EYLF? That programming that a service does should not
come from ONE person whoever that person is!
What’s wrong with this line: “You’re doing it wrong?” ... That’s not great management. It’s
insensitive and passing judgement upon others. Even if they were doing it
wrong, you don’t put it to them like that! You work WITH them as a team and
brainstorm ideas – that’s reflection. That ‘reflection’ sits within the EYLF
and is what we are required to do. But to tell someone that they are doing it
wrong? That’s wrong.
One of my previous interview questions related to this ...
and my answer was – I tend to be quite reflective and have lots of ideas. I’m
however not going to walk into a new space and start changing things just
because I have a new idea. I don’t know what happened before in this space – I don’t
know the history of the room or program. I need to work with the team and the
children and in consultation make changes. Yes, there are changes that MUST be
made at times, but there are also changes that can occur over time. So, yes,
you get what you want as a professional, but you do it in a way that everyone
comes on board with you, and together you create change. In the meantime, I’ll
just write my ideas down and wait for a good time!
You certainly don’t tell people they’re doing it wrong.
People will be invested in their way of “doing it” and if you tell them it’s
wrong – well you are going to put noses out of joint and upset people. Not a smart
move.
I'd also like to add, that from what I've seen on visits to quality services, at previous work places, and on the internet about how different people are programming - there are so many different ways it can be done, and as long as you can show an understanding of what your system is, and it meets the requirements - then you are doing it right. You are doing it right for you!End of rant.
Stepping off soap box.
T.ink
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