Wednesday, February 20, 2013
How can one find a balance between expecting to be told what to do and discovering what works for themselves in their practice with young children?
We all have or will be starting to work at an early childhood program. What was your first reaction when starting in a preschool? How did you feel about all the transitions you had to equip the children with? If you haven't started working in a center, how would you feel the first day of work? These questions are some that come to my mind when reading the fist two pages of the staff conversation on page 118. The first day of work of the preschool I work in was actually a little bit terrifying. I did not know what to expect and being a substitute, one has to observe each classroom and change the teaching style for each one that is worked in. Each classroom is different and brings new insights, so the style of teaching would change. There is a different atmosphere in each classroom. Simona stated, "I was expecting to be told what to do and why, I expected some guidelines that would give me specific instructions." I felt the exact same way, did anyone else feel this way? As a substitute/aid I have to adapt to change and become spontaneous. Why? Because the job changes, one day I may be in a three year old class and one day I'll be in a four year old class then the next I might be in a two year old class. There is so much change and one must change the style of teaching in order to teach children at their age level. I believe it is one of the hardest job to do. For the past two years I have been working consistently in a four/five year old classroom. One of our three year old classroom has no main teachers (new teachers are being trained), so my boss has me in that classroom as well. Transitioning the new children into the routine is extremely difficult, as I have always followed my lead teacher in my four year old class, but there really is no lead teacher in the three year old class right now. It's kind of like starting from scratch with these new children. I feel that when I am in my regular four year old class, I know the children's routine, I know the children and their families, I know what is expected out of me, I follow my lead the assistant teacher. But now in the three year old class, I feel that I am expecting to be told what to do, just like Simona stated. I'm waiting for directions from the teachers in the other classroom next door and the other subs in the classroom to show me what to do and describe how to transition the children. Amelia said, "I observe others a great deal because I think I can learn an enormous amount from the things I am able to see". I feel that this is what I am doing all the time. Any time I get to work with other teachers, I am always observing their practice. I feel that it is a good way to find what you like about certain practices and teachings that you can relate to and begin to create your own practice and find a balance between the two. That brings me to the question, how can one find a balance between expecting to be told what to do and discovering what works for themselves in their practice with young children?
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Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting question and response to the reading. Why do teachers not trust themselves to think and engage with children as new teachers? Does this "mistrust" relate to always having to "prove" themselves as competent -- to professors, to administrators, and in some cases, to standardized licensing tests? What might need to change about societal views of teachers in order to ensure new teachers feel competent?
I also wonder if competency is tied to understanding a school culture? Are there expected ways to behave as a teacher in a site? Can these behaviors (sometimes even inappropriate) be how teachers come to view self as competent? For example, when I first starting teaching, competency as a teacher was judged by how quiet your children moved through the hall. Seems kind of silly, huh?
Jeanne
Hello Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, we get comfortable and used to doing things a certain way that when things change we tend to feel unsure of what to do in new situations. While reading your blog I pictured myself in your situation, I too would've wished someone gave me instructions on what needed and how things were to be done; or at least some information about the children's routine. I can understand how nerve wrecking the first day of transition must have been. I really don't like these times, but they serve as meaningful learning experiences. I too like to learn from observing others. I think it is one of the best ways to learn next to participating and learning hands-on. Just as you asked, this way you learn different strategies and techniques and build hem into your personal teaching methods. Thank you again Ashley for sharing your experiences and allowing me to comment on your blog.
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we have to find balance between expecting to be told what to do and discovering what works. I think it is more like a common sense to me that we have to look what position we are working at that moment. Personally, I work as an assistant teacher in the morning and a teacher in the afternoon and I feel like l stay in a totally different role. When I am an assistant teacher position I usually follow the lead teacher’s ideas and suggestions because I don't want to cross the line between our responsibilities. However, when I am a teacher in the afternoon, I kind off step up my plan a bit because I am fully in charge of the classroom so I need to discover what works well for they children, my assistants and myself.
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are doing a lot of juggling! How can you start incorporating what you have learned in all your classrooms? Give yourself time to work with what you’ve already learned. How can you evaluate your purpose in working in the different classrooms with diverse age children? When I read your post, experimentation came to mind. You may learn more by doing all those roles than by someone else taking you through a step by step process. How can this be fruitful and rewarding for staff and children when you are running around constantly? In your kind of situation, how can staff learn and experiment so that they understand how to educate, and are armed with tools to enhance their children’s learning?
I can completely relate to the feelings that Simona expressed because they are very similar to what I experienced when I first started teaching. I had just received my Associates degree and began teaching at the preschool where I had done my second practicum. Of course, being a practicum student was very different to being a teacher, and since I had minimal experience in a preschool, I had expected to receive more training and more information about what was expected of me as a preschool teacher at that particular preschool. Thinking about your question about finding balance, in my situation finding balance between expecting to be told what to do and working things out for myself was not an option. My boss had very precise requirements of how she wanted things to be done in “her” school but wouldn’t really tolerate me asking questions about what to do – I was expected to know how she wanted things to be done and when. And then just do it. Since I didn’t really know how she wanted things done and couldn’t ask, I learned to do things in a trial and error fashion. I think if I was a mentor to a new teacher, I would give him or her information about the school’s expectations if there are any, be open to any questions he or she may have, and also give him or her space to figure out his or her strategies, providing assistance if it’s needed.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYour post brought back some memories for me! I started off as a sub and worked between 5 different classrooms. I was so new to the field and haven't started taking classes yet and wasn't really sure if working with preschoolers was something I wanted to do. In fact, I just graduated from high school with only retail experience. It was an eye opener for me!
I did a lot of observing and tried to jump in whenever it seemed appropriate. The staff really liked that I was able to do that, because they mentioned to me that in a busy classroom it's hard to remind me of duties or things for me to do. Even today, I find myself busy and forget to tell the "helpers" what needs to be done and where they can assist.
To answer your question, about balancing between expecting to be told what to do and discovering what works for themselves in their practice with young children? I am not sure whether it is a balance or not, but personally I feel that it is more of an ability to be flexible. Even with different classes, you'll have to change your pedagogy up and down and in and out, because every year is different. I have been with 3 year olds for the past 10 years and it's interesting at the levels they come in at.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteHello! When I was reading the conversations that they had, I actually realized that I was not the only one who felt the same way as Simona did. I also was expecting other teachers or my mentor to let me know what to do for all the steps from one to ten. They did not tell me most of it of course, and I was actually a little upset about them. However, as I worked with them, I realized that those teachers were really busy and had to focus on children at the classroom. Therefore, it must be really hard for them to focus on me (they might be observing how I was doing but not focusing on me every second) and tell me what to do. Also, they were not me, so how can they tell what I feel or do not know without talking and asking questions? What I did was the same things that you do most of the time. Ashley, you observed how other teachers were talking to children, what could be a routine for the day and took notes if there were any questions that you could have asked. Based on the note that I took, I asked my mentor to let me know when she has time because I wanted to ask her questions. Most of the time that children were taking nap, we sat at the table and talked about my questions that I had and ideas of anything, especially if there was anything that she was expecting from me and if there were any events that will happen and I needed to know about it. “The while kids’ nap time meetings” helped me a lot to clear my clouds over my head and made our relationship better.
Your question about how can we make a balance might be possible by having good conversations with your co-workers or boss. However, I guess everybody will have different ways to make a balance. I felt really lucky that my mentor was the person who accepted my opinions and answered my questions the best she could. I also felt that Simona’s co-worker was really open minded and talked with her really well. However, not all the teachers that I might work with in the future would be like Simona’s or my mentor. At that time, how do you think we can find the way to find out about the classroom’s expectations and functionality? Only observations might not help. If you have the same situation, what would you do?
Miwa ;)