The text asks "are you satisfied with how things are in your program, in your profession, and in society at large?" Well, I have to say that nothing is perfect, but I feel that our program has its ups and downs. It may not be as strict as other preschools, but because of the families that we cater to, I feel that we give more leeway to them. In my profession, I wish that we could be taught more things about what we can do in the classroom, activity wise, dealing with children, and other things that we can apply in our daily routines with the children instead of learning so much about theory. In society, there can be so many changes that can be done, but there is only so much that a person can do to change society unless they are someone who is watched constantly under social media.
I always thought my dream was to become a preschool teacher, and now that I am living my dream, I wonder, is this where I am at forever now? Have my dreams finally come true? But I feel like I haven't succeeded yet because I have yet a lot to learn about being a preschool teacher. I always wanted to be one teacher that I worked with, she was really good at what she does, her children were always engaged and she always knew the right thing to do. I have a long way to go to become that perfect teacher, but when will I know when I have reached it?
A question that I thought of while reading the paragraph was, how do you even start to think of a perfect program? Where do you even begin? There are so many things that need to be done that it seems like endless amounts of work. I feel that my director always has so many things to do and it never gets done because there is always something else that she has to do at the same time. I feel that way about us teachers too, these past few weeks have been so overwhelming that the other teacher that I work with is also losing his mind too.
Overall, I feel that the perfect program is different in every program because of the different backgrounds of children that they cater to. With the program, with the perfect staff that work well together and are able to handle the amount of stress and take on responsibilities, I feel that the program will do well.
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteDo you think it is not considered risk taking when your allowed to test it out in a controlled environment? We do learn a lot about theories in our ECE courses but why do you think they focus on at aspect? How can you take the theories we learn and apply them to the problems or situations we face on a daily basis?
You hit on a point that society has areas that need changes but there are limits to how much can be changed. When you look back on the major society changes that happened in our country's history, how did that happen? In the case of Martin Luther King, Jr., how did one man turn into the person we associate with the Civil Rights Movement? There were others but he became the main figure. What type of people do you categorize him? How did he encourage more people to join the movement?
I think all of us have those moments where we all question if we are really in the right profession. What I go back to is how one of my professors talked about her career in the field. She was the director of a program and then quit to do another job outside of ECE. After a decade, she came back into the field but at the time she did not know if she would come back. In that same section you mention about being the perfect teacher. What is the perfect teacher? How do you achieve that? Have you asked the teacher you work with if she thinks of herself as the perfect teacher? And what was it like for her when she was in your position?
In my experience, I found that the teachers who I view as great at this profession always question what they do and re-evaluate their actions on a daily basis.
How can you live by example when teaching your students about changes? I think it's in our human nature to say that we don't like changes. In our day to day life, we wake up, go to work/school, go home, and sleep. When change comes our way, some of us will either freak out or we will run away from the situation. As educators, we are always changing our curriculum to fit the children's needs. Change will come upon a child. Being a risk taker can be scary but I think as a teacher, we all need to be risk takers. For me, I'm not a risk taker myself. When put upon that path, I need to give myself a prep talk. We need to be risk takers in order to grow as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteHI Monica,
ReplyDeleteAs you consider your program, do you find it structured traditionally as an early childhood program? If so, can this traditional structure influence your own position as not a risk-taker? What might your director need to do to create a space where risk-taking is invited and expected? As a teacher, how might you rethink your director and her role so she could support her teachers as risk-takers? How can teacher as risk-taker contribute to your practice, expanding what is possible as you engage and build relationships with the children and families at your center? How might this envisioning by you influence how you define your role as director at your dream program?
Cheers,
Jeanne
Thank you for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI found them to be very raw, you exposed a side of yourself in a matter of fact way. Like this is me, I don't like change.
I appreciate your view on this but challenge you to "get comfortable with being uncomfortable," as one of my favorite celebrity trainers, Jillian Michaels likes to say.
Children benefit from routine and consistency, sure.
But they also grow when change occurs.
We ourselves need to be not only okay with change but we need to embrace it and maybe even seek it out at times.
Change is scary but it's just another part of life.
You can dislike it or even fear it or you can make the most of it.
The choice is ultimately up to you.
But our world needs change and that change begins with ourselves.
You will know you have reached your dreams of becoming a good teacher when you can feel it and you dont have to ask. You will just know. Things will make sense and life will feel good. But it's not about reaching your dream and that's it. We have to continually dream in order to reach the best of places. We must never get too comfortable with things because were missing out when we do. I see life this way. We must keep moving forward and slowly making things better for ourselves and those around us. It never ends, we must keep charging on!
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteI think that some ways you can think about a perfect program is thinking of the changes that need to be made. You can start off with small changes, and look at bigger changes in the future. I don't think that there is a "perfect" program. I believe that we need to realize that we just need to try our best to make the improvements needed and focus on the children and the families.
Aloha Monica,
ReplyDeleteI am also very comfortable when things don’t change, however I have learned to be adaptable. Do you think this fear affects your ability to adapt and be responsive to young children? Why do you think you aren’t a risk taker? Is it more about your preference? Your current teaching position?
Why do you think you “cater to” your families? Do you think that all early childhood programs should be “strict”? What does strict look like? I believe that it depends on the need and vision of the program. My workplace is both a lab school and a child care service for students and faculty then for the general community. We provide two very different services for the college. Do you think your center meets its purpose?
What do you mean by “unless they are someone who is watched constantly under social media?” What are some of the changes you want to see in your program? Your community?
I have always wanted to be a teacher but I have found my calling being a caregiver for infants and toddlers. Recently, although I graduated with my AS degree, I feel like my growth has been stunted at my workplace. I was not able to be promoted and gain more responsibilities and opportunity to exercise my skills. Do you think that where you are at now is contributing to your vision of becoming the “perfect teacher?” I too aspire to be like one of my mentor teachers. Do you want to be able to engage children as she does? What other skills do you want to develop? My inspiration came from how my second grade teacher and my mentor teacher now had the ability to grab the attention of the whole class just by singing a song. What are your inspirations?
When I began to articulate my vision for my program I too was overwhelmed by all the technical stuff. I bypassed all of that because I think those skills come with actual experience. I began by thinking about what worked and what didn’t. I also enjoyed dreaming up my ideal program. What does your ideal program look like?
I agree the “perfect program” will depend on different variables. What type of program is a good match for you? What purpose do you want to serve?
Chloe