As I reflect on the past few days of work and all the things that I have been reading about "risks." The first thing that comes to mind is special education children. I have a child, who we think is special education. The child sometimes has very violent outbursts, and by the middle of the week, all the staff members are burnt out. How do you know when it is time to talk to the parents about the behavior and how would you approach it? It is never a good thing have to talk to a parent about how their child is behaving...... I feel that this is a big risk because the parent might take it wrong and become very upset.
Is your personality someone who is willing to take criticism? Sometimes, when I know that I am trying and working hard, when someone tells me something negative about my work, I get very offensive and it just bothers me. I always want things to go smoothly, but I know that it never happens that way. Everyone also has their own opinions about things and I know that sometimes my boss is just trying to help me become a better teacher. However, sometimes it's hard to listen to her opinion on something that she saw happen, because she doesn't understand why it happened, or what the purpose of something was. Sometimes she would see something and later bring it up and suggest something, it is a good idea if I was able to give that child that one-on-one, instead of having to give 12 other children the same attention. I have a hard time just saying that I would try to do what she wants to do. Do you have that issue too and how would you handle it?
Aloha Monica,
ReplyDeleteFirst I am wondering if your program has certain steps in order to meet this childs needs. Is there a form to fill out when certain incidents happen? We have one called a Behavior Incident Report and it gets filled out and a specialist comes and observes the child, then further steps are taken, meetings with guardians, doctors, etc. Have you taken further observations of the child? Have you found why the child is acting this way? Do you meet the child's needs? Changing the schedule or transition times?
At times we often see the child being the naughty or deviant one, but its a matter of conforming the environment and ourselves to meet their needs, rather than the child meeting ours.
This is something that a director should be discussing with you. Is your director aware of this child? What is he or she doing to meet this childs needs? How would he or she respond to this situation? Would they be supportive? How will you be supportive for this child?
As for issues they will arise and its apart of life. Its a matter of perspective and how you as well as the other person thinks, we have to remember that we are not all the same. You can listen and show respect but really take in what you want and what you don't, learning about directors I am realizing that mine doesn't meet any of the things we are learning, and is not suitable for this job, I listen and respect my boss but then I debrief with myself or talk it over with someone else to get a different perspective. We never want to be told what we did wrong, but it will only allow for us to make gains and learn more. I tend to have a mentally as who cares what others think or say, do whats right from your perspective. Will you take a stand for yourself? the children? the program? Will you take that risk?
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteI am wondering how the ideas shared in your posting, risk, and balance (as shared this week's reading) relate. Does risk become easier when balance is part of a director's vision, actions, and words? How might balance help a director support children with special rights (as I like to call children with special needs) and in what ways could these supports create a welcoming place for all children?
As you describe your interactions with your colleagues, I also wonder about the role of balance. How can a director create a space for colleagues to come together to support and challenge each other? In what ways might a director help criticism become a way to rethink practice? What role does relationship play in constructing classrooms and teaching teams that collaborate, push each other's thinking, and find ways to rethink practice?
Cheers,
Jeanne
What is a tactful way to let parents know their child may need extra support? I thought about this before too. My daughter is in preschool. She's super hyperactive and runs and jumps everywhere. She never walks or sits. ADHD runs in the family. I see clear signs of ADHD everyday. I'm not blind. I notice she can't sit still. But when her preschool teacher approached me about her behavior, she was terrified to say anything. Honestly, I know she acts like a tazmanian devil. It's no surprise to me. I was just waiting for the day when we had a parent teacher conference. Honestly, being a parent, I would like to be told very directly and right away. My daughters school waited for the conferences and they gave the feedback in an indirect way. I had to interrogate them for the complete information. But I know it can be a sensitive topic that can make some people feel uncomfortable. But for me, I think clear, fact-based, direct communication is the best option.
ReplyDeleteHi Monica,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. When your dealing with certain behavior it does create a sort of "bump in the road" for you as a teacher but it is also part of your job as an educator. It is also the responsibility of your program and director to have a protocol set up to help aide the teachers in better servicing this child's needs. In our program if we have a child that is displaying a certain behavior or even if they may have a delay in their speech, we first look to their developmental screening that is completed by the parent, and if we feel there is still a concern we may request to have the child observed by our education/disabilities specialist. If there is a concern by the specialist, then we ask the family for permission to be screened by a professional. There is an actual process that has been put into writing and a policy for us to follow. This policy gives us teachers some support but it more importantly will give the child the attention and the teachers the tools to better service he/she. But like your situation where there is no policy set-up what can you do? Have you sat down with your fellow teachers and try to brain storm on how you can better service this child? I believe that having a conversation with the child's parents is very important and could help with the process. The parent knows their child the best and may have some information that could shed some light on to why the child is acting that way. The parent could be feeling the same way as you and is probably dealing with the exact same behavior at home. By not sharing this information with the family because you are afraid upsetting the parent, are you taking a risk of not helping the child? What is more important, not risking upsetting a parent or helping a child? Maybe having your director sit in with you on the conversation with the parent will help the parent be more receptive to the information and put you at ease. Also, if the staff is burnt out midweek from one child, how does that affect the rest of the children in the class, program? How can the staff help each other and prevent getting burnt out by the middle of the week? I agree with what Katie said about communication being the best option. I believe in all of these situations, dealing with them by communicating with either the parent, fellow staff, and your director will help and be the most effective.
I understand that it can feel like a risk when it comes to talking to a parent about a touchy subject like behavioral problems. But I would say that you need to view it as helping the child. What can we do to help the child? I think its a great idea to talk with the parents and bring everyone on the same page. And honestly, the parents probably know how their child is at home and assumes that they might struggle with behavioral problems at school. The conversation might bring you and the parents closer together and hopefully a step in the right direction to helping the child's behavior and planning what to do. If you see the child's negative behavior become consistent, I believe that it's time to talk to the parents and let them know what's going on. If the child's behavior becomes worst, I think that updating the parents will help them as well. Yes the child may have education/ disabilities, but, if that observation and conclusion is made, the parents won't feel shocked or extremely offended.
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