Roberto's Experience

Specific Blog 12

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Roberto’s experience to me is my fear.  In wanting to build my own center, I always fall back onto this scenario, how am I possibly going to get through accommodating all of the standards and accreditation requirements as well as create my own way to handle my center.  To me I gained many inspirations from Roberto.  He knew from the start that he didn’t agree with what the center has been implementing.  Instead of falling back on the standards and requirements as a resource to what he should do, he fell back to he families, the people who he is working for.  He didn’t just change things with no intention and leaving out people.  Roberto simply took what he knew about children and he engaged families to see children in his view.  He knew what he was doing, and with everything he did he had something to back him up.  In all the challenges that Roberto faced, he fell back to his families, and their input and then he went to his staff.  He did things his way, but kept in mind what was required of him.  He definitely used his staff as partners to accomplish accreditation.              

            If I encountered any of these problems I think I would have to always refer back to my families and the community that I am serving.  Then I would turn to my staff since they are my right hand, my left hand, right leg, left leg, and my entire body. 

            I do want to finish my bachelors, and maybe even further to a masters or PhD.  I want to gain as much knowledge as possible, along with experience of other Early Childhood sites.  I would then want to try and open my own center.  I don’t know where I would get my funds, I don’t know how I am going to go through with it, and I don’t know how long until I will actually reach this goal.  But I do know that I want to help people understand children, I want to help engage people in their children’s life, and I want to be there for children who deserve a better. 

Sarah's Experience

Specific Blog 11

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I live in the country, but I work in the city.  The children where I live are totally different compared to children that I work with.  They are different in the sense of how the environment impacts them.  We are so lucky to live on an island where the ocean and the mountains are so closely attainable.  But the city children seem to not view the island as children in the country do.  To country children, the ocean and the mountain is so easily accessible, it’s their back yard, they know the ins and outs of the mountain and the ocean, and they know how to use the mountain and the ocean as resources.  City children, I have noticed, enjoys the beach, playing in the ocean, running around in the mountains, but they don’t necessarily focus on what the ocean and the mountain has to offer, and they don’t necessarily go deeper into the ocean and the mountains.  I know of children who have grown kalo in lo’i patches, I know of children who have gone fishing with nets, and I know of children who have participated in offering the ocean and the mountain life by planting, caring, and cleaning the environment.  There was this one time at the school that I work at where we had a camp as a dramatic play scene.  But I noticed that the children were not exposed to that type of scenery.  They didn’t know what to do with the props, they didn’t know what to do at a camp, and they didn’t know much about the outdoors.  Recently we were blessed with a mala (a dry land taro patch), taken care by another program, which was near our school. The children were exposed to planting in a new way, but they didn’t actually experience connecting with the land, learning the process, and connecting the experience to them. 

            I liked the idea that Sarah included the families in her plan to draw closer to the natural world.  In doing this families seemed like they were active participants in seeing and connecting with the natural world, which gave meaning to the children.  I liked the idea that Sarah used her staff and her center’s environment as a template to draw families into seeing the environment around them.  I think going on fields trips around island is a practical idea, but actually connecting to island by seeing where the children live, since the children at my center don’t live in the same area.  I would like to include my families in the process of how they care for the land, since my families consist of different cultures. 

            Sarah’s experience was very interesting to me, but I feel that families in Hawaii see the natural environment differently from families on the mainland.  They enjoy the natural environment, but they may not necessarily draw a connection or use the natural environment as a resource.  I would like to do activities in the natural environment, like fishing, walking with no shoes, or even collecting mountain fruits.  I think families notice the natural environment, but using and caring for the environment is what I feel the families in Hawaii need to grow a sense for.                      

Michelle's Experience

Specific Blog assignment 10

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            Michelle tries to invest in her staff instead of always having to let them go.  She notices that her quality with her staff is greater when she invests time, money, training, and reflection.  Not only does Michelle adjust her budget so that her staff may benefit from it, but she also adjusts her orientation habits, training techniques, and staff roles.  In doing this Michelle doesn’t rely on herself to manage her center, but she spreads out her responsibility to her staff, which she trusts.

            Having to rethink different possibilities so that I don’t get stuck in the same routine that isn’t making my vision move forward is something I would like to work on.  Noticing that I need to change, and taking action is another thing I would like to work on.  I would like to work on expanding my horizons to other possibilities so that I can come up with what can or can’t work for me.  I feel that I work great with other staff, and I hope that I can build upon my relationships with the staff at my center. 

            Many aspects of Michelle’s vision appealed to me.  I liked how she noticed that her staff could be invested in.  I liked how she spread her responsibilities out to her staff so that she wasn’t flustered with all the duties of managing.  I liked how she had her staff reflect using the Thinking Lens, and how her staff thought in a particular way instead of a bias and one-sided way. 

            I could imagine myself investing in my staff.  I like Michelle’s idea when she included her staff in the hiring process.  I would want to debrief with my staff to see who they can see themselves working or not working with.  I enjoyed the fact of how Michelle conducted meetings with her staff, but to add I would want to have informal meetings with my staff.  I would want to invest in staff bonding.  Especially in my won center there is sometimes a divide in the staff, and bringing my staff together is something that I would want to work on.          

Lettie's Experience

Specific blog assignment 9

Bring your vision to life--> page 237

            Lettie noticed what she didn’t want to do, which was to pour piles of papers onto parents, her staff, and herself.  She also had a clear thought about what she wanted to do, which was build relationships.  In all that she did she made sure that she did not want paperwork and that she wanted to build relationships.  I felt like she knew that relationships were important and therefore she built upon the foundation of the triangle.  I noticed that even though Lettie did have important paper work to fill out, she didn’t just throw the paperwork at the parents and expected a deadline.  In all of her examples, Lettie looked over what was required and then she did her own little twist on expressing the requirements rather then the parents and staff having to fill out form after form.  She used her managing side of the triangle as a foundation to what she implements in her classroom as well as to the families.  From the coaching side of the triangle, Lettie coached everyone as a group.  Not only did she coach her staff, but she coached the families as well. 

            I think orientation would be a stage that I would like to revamp.  I would like to also include the families not only in meeting, but also into the classroom not during center hours.  I would like to include the families from the start, the “We are waiting for you,” book is an amazing idea that includes families right from the inquiring stage.  I would like to include families on the learning of all the children not only their own child. 

            Lettie included everyone in the center, from center philosophies, to classroom meetings, and to solving situations.  She was inclusive in all of the examples, and she tried her hardest to allow everyone to have a say into decisions that were to be made in the center. 

I would want to strengthen my relationships with my parents, so that we can develop meetings that include everyone.  I want to have informal times with the parents, in the part of the story when they said that they invite parents into the classroom and they leave pictures, I thought that was an informal way of including families into the classroom.  I want to practice talking to groups and not offend anyone’s perspective.  I want to spend time with my parents and my staff so that I can feel comfortable having meetings with them.  I want strengthen including everyone not only in conflict resolution but also with my vision.  

How much better do you feel about MANAGING?

How much better do you feel about MANAGING?

Managing is the side of the triangle that I have been worried about this entire course.  

-how would I possibly manage a school?

-what do I need to know?

-where do I even start? 

-what do I need?  

-what if I can't get what I need to start a school?  

-where do I turn when I get stuck or encounter a problem I don't know how to get out of?

-what kind of team do I need? 

-what do I need in order to start?

-where do I find rules, regulations, standards that I'm supposed to be abiding by?

-how would I afford all of this? 

All of these questions and many more just flow into my mind when I see the word Managing, or when I think about having to manage.

But after I read through chapter 5, I feel a little more secured about my role as a manager.  I got a sense of how I can approach the technical aspects of being a director.  Chapter 5 shared many strategies of what I can do in order to make my managing role organized.

For example...

-Budgeting 

          --> We shouldn't feel that money is a problem that stops us from reaching our vision.   

          --> There is budgeting worksheets to refer to on how to create salary, tuition price, and money      

                for supplies.

-Take time to plan the planning process

-Include not only your staff, but also the families and possibly the community.  

-Using the technology we have today, communicate in the different languages in our program to include all types of people.  

-Plan for trainings that not only benefit your staff but also benefits the program and your vision.

          --> Include not only your staff but also families and the community to the trainings if the training 

                is in an accessible location.    

-Investment and structure of time

          -->Structure how our time can be used for both the children and the teachers to understand the   

               children, each other, and the objects around the learning environment. 

With just these few examples I have gained a better understanding of how I can take on the managing and overseeing side of the triangle.  Though getting the right resources and encountering the right people may be difficult in order for me to start my own program, I wont let this get in the way of reaching my vision.  My vision of opening my own program in Molokai and thriving on that island.     

Practice w/ Stories

Compare the Approach of These Two Directors:

Becky

Becky seemed to have goals that reflect meeting program requirements.  Becky focused on deadlines, and meeting each requirement of the staff.

Becky seems to be using a managing approach, she’s making sure that all of the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted.  

Becky’s approach seems to undermine reflective practices and teacher disposition needed for a caring, learning community.  Juanita seemed frightened to say her opinions since Becky was only concerned about the paperwork, getting it in on time, and by following through with what was created.  Becky did praise Juanita, but she wasn’t inviting when it came to sharing ideas or concerns about any aspect of the paperwork, classroom, children, or community.     

Yolanda

Yolanda seemed to have goals that support her staff in collaboration with program requirements.  Though Yolanda knew what the program requirements were she still took into consideration each personality, and each input of ideas.    

Yolanda seems to be using a coaching and mentoring approach, she’s listens to each persons idea, she adds in the program requirements, and in the end she accommodates her staff best as possible. 

 Yolanda’s approach seems to encourage reflective practice and teacher disposition needed for a caring learning community.  Yolanda asked questions to enlighten the teacher’s thoughts.  She allowed her staff to talk openly and share experiences with the children.  Yolanda did mention paperwork, but she allowed her staff to do what was comfortable for them, and she was also willing to advocate for them.   

There is a huge difference in these two types of directing approaches; I wonder how a director would look like using all three approaches from the triangle? 

Though going according to the rules and regulations seems to be most evident when directing, I hope that I can be a team player and collaborate with my staff in order to create a rich center.  

How do I keep this in mind? 

How do I remember to fall back on these practices of coaching, mentoring, and reflecting? 

“the way that I teach the children, is the way that I should teach my staff.”