I have experienced two different types of directors in my preschool career. The first director I worked for, she was always not "there," she always forgot things and was quite unprofessional. The other director I had was very in the way, demanding, and bossy. She made us feel like we were being attacked all the time and under the radar. She was quite rude to parents, it also caused parents to pull their child out of the preschool because they did not like her. Now, the director that I work for is not always there because she has other work to do also. So it is quite different. The structures in the preschool are also different too.
The preschool I am at now is okay with children being part time, coming in at any time, and leaving early in the morning too. It is quite different for me because I am used to structures and not just going with the flow like now. But I also think it is because I am still learning how to be a good teacher, that I am having some problems.
As a director...how would you structure your preschool? Would you make it strict and have it full-time only? With mandatory 8am attendance? It is quite difficult to think about things like this because a director needs to consider to community and the parents that she is catering to.
Aloha Monica,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same towards my director she is not always there either, I wonder if it has to deal with work or with family. If you are thinking of becoming a director or if you could see it through there shoes are they being of a great example? What are your thoughts of an "ideal" director?, since you've had negative experiences with directors.
If I were able to structure my own preschool, I would first look at the children and families that attend the preschool or are going to be potential people within the program. With seeing the families and children and what they need allows for better decision making, take full-day(8-5), half-day(8-12), or regular day (8-2) if most of the parents work late then I would consider becoming a full day program.
I would not make a mandatory 8 am attendance, the reason is I had experience where it was mandatory to be there at 8 am and only 5 tardies were allowed, children have hard mornings, things happen to families, such as the parents separating or the families moving for personal reasons. I had a child a few years ago whose mother moved to waianae from waimanalo due to family reasons and they always came late at 815. There are things to be considered before making decisions because these decisions can affect alot of children and families.
mahalo for your post,
kalama
Monica, I think as a director you should always be there. Teachers, parents and school personal need to have someone who is there and can consistently deal with the procedures, expectations and functions of the school. If something happens and the director wasn't there for some reason and a teacher mistakenly said something incorrect to the parents then it would come back as the director's fault for not informing that teacher about the correct answer and for not being there to speak with them about it.
ReplyDeleteI think that being a director means your there at the school to "direct" and oversee things on a daily and consistent basis. If for some reason you cannot be at the school then there needs to be a trained and reliable person who can make decisions as if they were the director, this may be a teacher or school secretary, but i think that its important that when roles are established in the school to make sure someone is always there in order to make decisions, clear up questions and oversee the daily functions of the day, otherwise there are more opportunities for miscommunication and conflicts to arise. What are your thoughts about roles that are set? Should a director and a secretary be paid the same if they are doing the same job? How do you keep a director accountable for their responsibility's if they are not there?
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteAs a director, who would decide the "structures" you are expecting in an early childhood setting? How would you define "structures"? Can structures be freeing? limiting? something else? What role might structures play in how teachers engage passionately and as thinkers? Could some structures limit how teachers think and act within a classroom setting? (for example, prescribed curriculum and assessments)
In what ways might the image of the teacher and the image of the child influence how a center is structured? Could this image of teacher and child as capable create a different place than the image of the child and teacher as incapable?
Cheers,
Jeanne
Hello Monica,
ReplyDeleteI used to work at a preschool where the director wasn't always there. On certain days, she wouldn't be at preschool because she also works as a professor. On the days that she is at preschool, she mostly does paperwork/computer work, but she does play with the children. Sometimes, she leads an activity, such as circle time. She also mentors the lab students. She might not always be there at preschool, but I think that it's alright. Most of the time, the parents will talk to the lead teacher if they have issues and concerns.
If you were a director, would you always be there at the preschool? How do you think families and staff members might view the director who isn't always there?
Also, I think that it's a good option for families to choose from either part-time or full-time enrollments. It might be more convenient for them and save them money for choosing part-time. What kind of structure would you envision to be ideal?
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Geena
Hi Monica, I'm sorry that the directors you have encountered have been difficult to be with. I understand where you are coming from because I know directors like that. At the school I work at, we have children that are either full time or part time, and it works overall for the families. There is structure, but I have some children in my class that will come in late (at circle time). I think that structure helps teachers be able to monitor the children's attendance, that's why I appreciate the children coming and leaving around the same time. But a must as structure is important, I believe that teachers need to be flexible for the parents and families.
ReplyDeleteHi Monica
ReplyDeleteIt is very unfortunate that you have had two very negative experiences with directors. How will you use your experience to help mold you into a different director? Your experiences show how much influence a director has on a program and in your experiences both directors have had a very negative experience on both their staff and families. I too have a director that is never there and is always somewhere else. Even when she is in for the day she is in her office, on the computer listening to Pandora. How do we not follow in the footsteps of our leader and set a better example? How did you and the rest of the staff deal with the parents who were not happy with your boss' performance? It's so unfortunate that there are so many people in charge who don't seem to be right for the job.
Aloha Monica,
ReplyDeleteI agree these are important questions about center structure. How do you set limits and expectations when families have ones of their own? As early childhood centers we are providing a service to the community. But what about the service we are providing to children? Do you think putting the needs of parents are more important than the developmental needs of children? Children are dragged a long throughout the day from one errand to another as parents go through their daily tasks. Do you think children get the consistency they so crave? At my workplace working with infants who thrive on routines and constancy, we are foremost NOT drop-in care. As also a lab school where ECE students come to observe and implement, it is important that children and families are present. How could you make this a "requirement" at other types of programs?
Thanks
Chloe