What’s your Style?

When you enter a classroom on your first day you may begin to wonder what you have gotten yourself into. Your mind can race a mile a minute and your heart can begin to get erratic. You are outnumbered from the start and somehow you need to learn to take command and control of your space. Working in a team with people you have just met while helicopter parents whiz around can make anyone nervous. Your classroom can be extremely intimidating.

One way to combat this feeling of terror and dread is to ensure your prepared before you even get past the cubbies. Figure out who you are working with and feel strong/confident enough to inquire about how they teach. You will need to be able to communicate with others. No two educators are alike. We are like snowflakes in a blizzard or raindrops in a typhoon. On the outside it seems we are all the same. We carry the same title and are, at times, expected to carry out the same duties. However, when you delve a little deeper you begin to see that we all do things differently. We add our own unique spin, flare, or technique to make our classroom our own (for whatever small frame of time we get to do so).

There are many methods you can use to take command, inspire, and provoke. There is no magic methodology. No one has the answer to create the perfect class. There is no magic sentence to encourage all of your children to listen to you all of the time. Furthermore, no book in Chapters, Indigo, or Barnes and Noble will be able to quell the tempest of the classroom. That is for you to find a solution to.

I am a firm believer in the mixture of styles. No one has ever been able to convince me to choose just one to be my governing force. Through a blending technique I have been able to take the best parts of each style and use them when they are appropriate. However, there are many kinds of styles  so see what fits you.

The Authority Figure: The use of lectures and a more direct taught lesson. This style of teaching involves the teacher/educator providing directions for  activities and lessons. It does not allow for collaborative learning with the educator or peers. Example: Direct lessons (could still be related to inquiry) using a more lecture based approach. This is akin to a professor in a lecture. Think of more circle times and PowerPoint led lessons.

The Fascinated Facilitator: This style creates an area safe for questions and answers. Through a creation of open ended activities children are encouraged to question and delve deeper into the inquiry. With the inquiries in hand the facilitator will create centers and learning opportunities for the children to self direct. Example: science center – scents, art center- spice painting, math center – concocting spices (3 seeds of cumin + one tbs. of paprika), literacy center- writing about what the scent of the spices make you think.

The Dedicated Demonstrator: The name says it is all in regards to this style. The demonstrator puts forth a “watch and learn” mentality. The educator that leans to the demonstrator method will play an active part in all area of learning in the classroom. This could be in mathematics, science, art, literacy, construction, and especially drama. The dedicated demonstrator is most likely an individual that no issue about switching between roles (serious, silly, silent and many more).

The Hyper Hybrid: As the name suggests this is a method of teaching that really blends all of the styles together. We are then left with a super mutated educator that can teach in many situations. I favor this style of educating the most. Simply because I cannot imagine working one way all the time. It seems too rigid  of a practice for kindergarten or daycare. There are moments when direct teaching styles will be required and there are moments when activities and concepts need to be shown. The hybrid method could appear as a hyper individual whom is all over the place. However, it is most likely an individual that has a wonderful grasp on the class they are teaching and knows how to change to better suit their needs.

Which teaching style do you fall into and which one are you more curious about. Are there more teaching styles that we have missed? Are there certain styles you will refuse to do of are more likely to try out? Please let us know and leave a comment below if anything stands out for you.

 AN EVERYDAY EDUCATOR

What is your preferred teaching style? How do you like to educate?

Are you Secure?

Looking at the situation in the DDSB (Durham District School Board) I am beginning to worry about job security. For those unfamiliar with the problems in Durham it is apparent that many ECEs will be losing their jobs come September. Whether or not their jobs have hit a redundancy (the class sizes are under 16 children, thus no ECE is required) or they have gotten rid of a few classes the fact remains the same that many people are currently in their last year with that board. This is a scary thought. I go to work each day and try my best at what I do best.

If you feel that this is one of those situations in which you will not be effected by their lost jobs, think again. This gives momentum to the idea that one classroom can be stocked to the brim (30 students and sometimes  more) while another has 16 or less children and is not in need of an RECE. Thus, two paychecks have been eliminated and the government has saved some more money. We have deluded ourselves to the mentality that the children are the future… It seems to most others (especially the Government of Ontario) that it is truly money that make our world go ’round.

There is a petition in the works on Change.org. The link is long but brings you right to the page.
https://www.change.org/p/minister-of-education-liz-sandals-assistant-deputy-minister-early-learning-division-jim-grieves-ensure-every-child-has-full-time-access-to-an-early-childhood-educator-in-ontario-schools?recruiter=22987354&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-reason_msg

I have signed this petition and I hope many of you do the same. I would rather say that I did something than sit back and do nothing. If it can happen in Durham can it not happen elsewhere?  We are now caught in a game of numbers. Playing around with the class sizes means we can play around with how many ECEs have jobs or not. Take a moment to think as well. Your seniority plays no role in whether or not you keep your job or not. The Durham employees lost their positions in a lot pull. Essentially a group of names is pulled (regardless or seniority or experience) and those are the few unlucky individuals.

What would you do if this happened in your board? Leave a comment below or email: theeverydayece@gmail.com

When you sign the petition you are able to leave a message. This was mine:
I am a dedicated Registered Early Childhood Educator. I work in a classroom in a wonderful collaboration with my teacher and fellow RECE partner. I have been in trenches of our FDK program. I have both defended the rights of my fellow RECEs and been defended as well. We should not have to bend over backwards to prove our worth. The proof is in the classrooms where we are present and the ones that we are not. We are vital, we are necessary and you cannot tiptoe back on your educational obligations now. Realize we are here to stay. If you try to take us down then prepare for a fight.

AN EVERYDAY EDUCATOR

Wrestling with Responsibility

The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.
– Denis Waitley

The weight of responsibility is not something to bear alone. This is why we work in teams throughout the ECE world of work. Whether or not we are in classrooms. day care, or just before or aftercare we work in collaboration with others. It appears at time that we are forgetting that. This is apparent on both sides of the “dividing line”.

Teamwork makes the dream work. That is the creed I live and work by. I do my best to ensure that all people are on the same page. If I share information with my RECE in the classroom then I will also inform our fellow teacher. I expect this to be vice versa as well. However, as I have always known, you cannot control the actions of others. I do what I can and implore you to do the same. We can neither control those we work with nor force them to have teamwork on the mind all the time.

While looking through some of the documents for FDK (Full-Day Kindergarten) I realized that the responsibilities of the Early Learning Team is only ONE PAGE LONG.  That page only contains a section which outlines the responsibilities of the RECE(s) in the classroom. There are many issues I have with this (besides the length and how it only scratches the surface of our occupation) but one of my main ones is how it outlines the teacher as being solely “responsible for student learning, and effective instruction […]” (Role of Early Learning Team, Government of Ontario,. PDF). This information is also on the Government of Ontario’s website under FDK. I am sure there are many nuggets of demeaning gold to be found. The reason this particular excerpt gets to be me is because many RECEs (all of us really) have a stake in the learning and success of our students. This responsibility does not fall solely to the teachers.

The ambiguous wording in documents such as these is what can cause a divide. It seems as if we are dealing with some blurred lines. This simple sentence makes me feel like I am governed and ruled over. Despite what wonderful ideas we create, the emergent curriculum we painstakingly put together, or the amazing amount of time we actually spend with our classes it is the teacher’s job to ensure they learn.

• Maybe this means my centers need to be cut.
• Maybe this means I should not teach a math lesson (that’s a teacher’s job).
• Maybe if a child asks for assistance with spelling I should ALWAYS send them to the teacher.
• Maybe I should not talk to parents of guardians about school day issues (only EDP).

I think we could kill ourselves with ‘maybes’. There are too many things to second guess and wonder about. I know that on paper we don’t seem to do much. The reality is that we do too much at times and then on the other hand we get the rug pulled out from under us when we try to branch out. If we stick literally to the three bullet points for what we are solely responsible for all day then I would have to agree that we would be nothing but over-glorified baby sitters. Are you wrestling with your responsibilities in your class? Let us know! Leave a comment or send us an email at: theeverydayece@gmail.com

I wonder how long it took to write this one page document?

Click to access Role%20of%20ECE%20and%20Teacher.pdf

Luckily for a more inclusive and positive view there are some articles that support us, see our value, and realize that we both (teacher and ECE) need to be equals. This is ‘The New Teaching Team’ and TVO Parents explains it well.
http://tvoparents.tvo.org/article/new-teaching-team-full-day-kindergarten

No single drop of water thinks it is responsible for the flood.

AN EVERYDAY EDUCATOR

#RealTalk

Hash tags rule our social media world. We constantly need to know what is trending with the rest of the world. We thrive on what is popular, who is post-op, and who holds the most prestige for that day. In this social world it is amazing how anti- social we have become. We attempt to ‘break the internet’ with images of nude celebrities and the speculation of who may switch their genders. I challenge us to #BreakTheInternet with #RealTalk.

Some may be wondering what constitutes ‘real talk’. It is a simple term that embodies when we all cut the bull^%#$ (there are four more letters but this isn’t that  kind of a blog). With the ability to send instant messages, emails, texts, or tweets it is as if we have become twits. The art of conversation is lost on us.

Anyone that has had a conversation with me know that I love to talk. I have also been blessed with the the gift of being excruciatingly blunt. This has bestowed me with the great ability to say it as it is. For some this method is too direct but for others it makes us a very productive team. We are able to be honest, open, and give real opinions rather than just compliments. There is so much more to be said for the person that is able to bring forth an intelligent, open, and honest opinion than those that only pay compliments. The fear of confrontation can be great for some. The fear of losing your voice in a sea of complacent peoples complements is not great enough.

By no means is this post saying that we must all remove our carefully crafted filters and unleash a torrent of blunt and rude responses. I implore you not to do this unless you want a visit to your HR department. Your responses can be constructive and real without being to direct or to sheepish. A lot more respect is earned by a person that can hold true to their convictions and ideals than those who are complacently please.  Do you feel that your workplace could benefit from some real talk?

AN EVERYDAY EDUCATOR

A Beautiful Cacophony

Each year our school does an arts exhibition. The halls are covered with art pieces made by the children. It is a gallery. Each class puts on their best work. Some of our classes went all out. They created special arts activities and displays for it. I have to admit that we did as well. We created quite a bit though. We put out a showcase of things we were already working on. This week was more of a cacophony to me than any other. It was sudden, harsh, and (at times) brutal changes and amounts of work that  occurred all week. It seemed to be a lot of starts and stops. The moment that brought it all together was when one child came back for the arts night with her family (she made me realized why I put in all the work that I do). She breezed past each classroom and each exhibit until she reached our room. She smiled and said,

Ms. Keitha, I really want to show my family our Monet paintings and all our other stuff. I really want them to see what we made!

-A Kindergartner

Blending inquiries is one of the best things in full day kindergarten. We were doing dinosaurs and then got wrapped up in the ways of the world. Thus, the Earthasaurus was born!

Each one of the pieces we put up was made by one of our kinders. It was an earth day activity entitled, “To Help the Earth I Can…” They drew methods to help the world with their pet dinosaurs. It ranged from lemonade stands to donating hair to charity.

 

We couldn’t miss a moment to promote the wonderfulness of full-day kindergarten. It has its flaws just like anything else but when you really find a model that you believe in why not imbue others with the same passion.

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We had a wonderful artist come in and teach watercolors to the class. They created amazing pieces. It really boosted their confidence in their own abilities. We strung them up and put them on the wall outside of our classroom. It was great to see our classroom alight with the idea of being ‘real artists’.

 

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I love creating new art experiences for the children in our class. Showing them some of the great artists of the world  and giving them the opportunity to create in that style and experiment with it.   This is what we made in the style of Monet. Note that each one is different and was encouraged to do so. One of my favorites was the children who created bugs to accompany their water lilies.

Embedding an early love and respect of art in our class.

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A Onceler house surrounded by a sea of Truffula Trees

A forest of truffula trees from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. The children created a colorful sea of tissue paper and paper straws.  I made the Onceler house last year with our class and my after care group. It has not become one of my most treasured resources.

This is the craziness and triumphs that have occurred this week. Send us your at theeverydayece@gmail.com

 

AN EVERYDAY EDUCATOR

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The Price of Production

Considering that tax time is drawing to a close and many individuals are in super saving mode it seems like the most apt time to bring up everyone’s least favorite subject! Money. We all need to realize that our finances aren’t some mythical beast we need to keep under wraps.

Money makes our world go ’round. I realize that many of us do not make enough to make even a drop in the ocean. This is the reality of it. There is no use hiding it. EAs and ECEs alike do not get paid enough for the level of work we are expected to produce. I will begin with EAs. Despite our differences in job description we are both lumped together; the bottom of the totem pole. For many EAs that I know and many that have sent emails to this blog, it is clear that there are issues. Too many children for one EA to handle, too many needs in one school (resulting in flitting around), not enough support during crisis. There are layers of issues that affect an EAs ability to do their job to the best of their abilities. In a perfect world the needs in a classroom would be assessed and then modifications would be made. The EA dealing with the issues would not be shuttled around throughout the day to different classrooms. How can a positive change occur in the children we serve if we aren’t able to be there to help? The safety of our classrooms and the future learning of so many is something I doubt we can put a price on.

Similar things can be said about ECEs. There are many responsibilities we take on and yet it is brushed aside. There is a lot of issue with planning/prep as well as contact time. I know in my classroom my ECE partner and I have more contact time with our class. The imbalance of duties, preps, non-contact time, and even time away for learning is immense. I realize the issues myself when I think about the amount of time, effort, and work I put into my own room. I don’t do much at home but I work like mad when I am at school. It would in fact be much simpler to not do half of what I do now. If I stuck with doing the amount of work I could feasibly get done while at work… Well there would be a lot less teaching and a lot more babysitting.

We are essential to our places of work. We make a difference each and everyday. It has been said that with ECEs we increase the value of the children we educate.  Through our tutelage, expertise, and  modifications, as both ECEs and EAs, we  augment the educational system in such a way that success is in the grasp of all of our students. Is this something we can really put a price on?

 

AN EVERYDAY EDUCATOR