The Triangle Framework

Practice using the triangle framework

Scenario 1: New Director Dilemma

I’m speechless.

ISSUES

--Building and Supporting the Community

* What type of impact do Mary Beth and Katrina have on the families and children?

* Does the environment promote a sense of belonging to the children, their culture, and their beliefs?

 

* Do Mary Beth and Katrina contribute to the community that offsets the situation? 

“The curriculum organized in Toddler room is meaningless and not very engaging.”  This classroom is not focusing on strengthening the children, which probably means that the involvement of the families is not present, or the considerations of the families impute is not present.  In order to develop an engaging and meaningful environment and curriculum, the teachers should be pairing up with the families to learn and work together to strengthen the child at home and at school.  In this case Mary Beth and Katrina are planning their curriculum not around the needs of the children or the family.

--Coaching and Mentoring

* What are Mary Beth and Katrina’s views and values about the environment and the curriculum? 

  

* Do they understand the importance of a meaningful environment and curriculum? 

* What skills, resources, or knowledge might help Mary Beth and Katrina build a meaningful classroom?* 

*How effective do Mary Beth and Katrina feel about their environment on the children?

* How do they view themselves as professionals?

“They tend to ignore you and go about their business when you enter the room.  You have tried making a few friendly suggestions but cant tell how they are being received.”  Mary Beth and Katrina seem to rebel against me [the director], and my suggestions.  They seem to not take my role as a director seriously. 

--Managing and Overseeing

* Do the regulations and standards for quality on this issue support or programs vision?

* Do Mary Beth and Katrina’s environment and curriculum affect the quality and safety of our program?

* Are the expectations, policy, and job descriptions related to creating a learning environment, and creative curriculum formulated clearly for the program and for Mary Beth and Katrina?

* Are the expectations, policy, and job description of a teacher as a professional clearly formulated for Mary Beth and Katrina in particular?

* What resources are available to help address this problem?

My vision is to have an environment that is creative and meaningful to the children, as well as have a creative curriculum to supplement the children’s learning.  Mary Beth and Katrina’s classroom doesn’t support my vision for the program.  The issue that Mary Beth and Katrina pose to ignore my suggestions makes me personally fear for my program; I contemplate whether my children are safe and parents feel confident in my staff. 

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE     

            This is a complicating issue.  I don’t appreciate the fact that I am ignored while trying to help the issue out.  I notice that the environment and curriculum is not meaningful to the children and therefore probably the families, which make me feel that my staff is not competent to accommodate the families and children of the program. 

-  I could address the situation, rather then suggest, to Mary Beth and Katrina and ask them how their classroom and curriculum benefits the families and the communities.  In doing this possible thoughts and answers may arise in helping them focus on goal of building and supporting the community. 

-  I could have a one to one conversation with Mary Beth and Katrina about their perspectives of roles as teachers, and about their beliefs on teaching.  In doing so I could create possible workshops on professionalism, creating meaningful environments, or even creating creative curriculum to help support their roles as teachers. 

-I could have a meeting with Mary Beth and Katrina discussing the vision of the program, and go over them what the program’s policy, regulations, and job description is for a teacher, and what the teacher should be providing within their classroom.  I could also discuss with them professionalism and work ethics as a teacher. 

To me meeting with Mary Beth and Katrina is the most suitable response for now.  Going into detail about what should be discussed may need further analysis of the situation.  I wouldn’t want to loose teachers whom dedicated many years at this preschool, though I wouldn’t want my program to be in jeopardy.  I hope to work with the two workers rather then letting them go.  What are other possible ways to go about this situation?  It’s especially hard since I’m the new one in town. 

Scenario 2:  Messing With Michael

ISSUES

--Building and Supporting the Community

* What type of impact does Michael’s decision/philosophy have on the children and the families?    

* Does the environment promote a sense of belonging to the children, their culture, and their beliefs?

* Does Michael’s decision making/philosophy acknowledge and respect each individual and the contributions each bring to the group?

Michael’s philosophy is a meaningful one, but his way of acting upon it, choosing to let the children decide what gets put in and out of their cubby’s, doesn’t promote an impact on the children if the activity seems to become hazardous.  The cubby area seems to promote a sense of belonging to the children, but it seems as if it is not promoting responsibility and respect if the area seems a mess, and not taken cared of. 

--Coaching and Mentoring

* Can Michael elaborate on his values and beliefs of giving children meaningful responsibilities and decision-making opportunities, what are other ways that he can take action of his beliefs and responsibilities?

* Does Michael understand the impact of his cubby area/classroom setting on children, families, and colleagues?

* Does Michael understand the importance of a clean cubby area/classroom setting in light of children, families, and colleagues coming into and out of his class? 

* What skills, knowledge, and resources might be helpful to Michael in creating a clean meaningful environment while acting upon his beliefs?

Michael seems to lack the knowledge of a classroom that should be clean and presentable.  Michael may not understand the importance of a clean and presentable classroom.  Michael may even lack the knowledge of teaching the children responsibility and decision making, as well as how the children’s decision making impacts their surroundings.

--Managing and Overseeing

* Does Michael’s environment and philosophy support the regulations and standards of my program?

* Does Michael’s environment [cubby area in particular] affect what a quality center should be like?  Is his environment developmentally appropriate and safe for the children?

*  Are there policies, expectations, and job descriptions related to creating an appropriate environment clearly formulated for the staff and for Michael in particular?

It seems like Michael’s philosophy is important, but his actions in supporting his philosophy aren’t appropriate for the standards that I have for my program.  The cubby area at this point seems to be hazardous to the children’s safety and health.  I also feel the my families will think that my program is not well organized and is of less quality due to the mess in this classroom, this will jeopardize how people view my program and may result in loosing students. 

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE

This issue needs to be fixed, I am concerned for my reputation as the director of the program, I am concerned for the children’s health and safety, and I am also concerned about how my families perceive my program.

- I could address the issue that’s at hand to Michael and ask him to explain to me examples of how his philosophy is being portrayed in the children’s actions.  I could discuss this with Michael when families are not present, but when the children are, so that he can see and explain to me how meaningful allowing the children to decide what goes in and out of the cubby’s is to the children.  In doing this Michael may sense whether or not his decision coincides with his philosophy, and if it is actually meaningful to the children and their beliefs or not. 

- I could have a personal meeting with Michael, address the issues that I have, and explain to him that his philosophy is a strong and excellent philosophy.  I could ask him personal questions if he knew and understood teaching responsibility to children, and how he could apply his knowledge of teaching responsibility to children to his philosophy.  Hopefully this will generate other meaningful activities within the classroom rather then just at the cubbies.

- I could have a meeting with Michael and discuss with him the programs standards, and regulations.  I could explain to Michael that his cubby area doesn’t abide by these standards, and is in fact creating a less quality classroom.  I could describe to Michael how a quality day care should look like.  I could also explain to Michael that his cubby area is hazardous to the children’s safety and health, and that it needs to be tidy in order for our program to be licensed. 

Although I have discussed the issue once with Michael and no changes have occurred, I would like to bring the issue up to him once more, within the classroom with only the children and no families around.  I would like Michael to see if this practice is actually meaningful to the children, then after actually observing the children I would like to discuss with Michael personally about his teaching methods.  I would like to create a site visit to other quality child cares to see how their classrooms may abide by the regulations and standards for a licensed center for Michael and the other staff members, to open their eyes and learn of the importance of a clean and organized site.  I appreciate Michael’s contributions and his philosophy and wouldn’t want to just fire him; I would like to work with him.  Are there other ways that I could go about this issue?      

Written:  Monday, September 30, 2013