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

The Weakest Link

The weakest link in a chain is the strongest;
it can break it

– Stanislaw Jersy Lec

I have always talked a lot. I have heard about it my whole life. When I get nervous I talk even more. I can’t help it. It is the way I am. However, do my few (or many) flaws make me the weakest link in my classroom chain?

HELL NO! I couldn’t imagine myself in any other way. My talking is an asset. I have made it one. I have also worked towards controlling it when it needs to be reined in. This is something we all should be doing. Something we should all be working towards with our own “weak links”. I have worked with many people in many jobs. Did we all have the same attributes? The same strengths? the same weaknesses? We were all different. However, each of our weak points had the potential to implode our fragile classroom balance!

It comes down to the issue of perception. How I view my colleagues, their mannerisms, their teaching styles, and our interactions day to day plays a big part in the strength of our team. We all have weaknesses. If we are not able to embrace them then we are ashamed of them. We are worried about how others may see us. How other may judge us. It can be nerve wracking to think that your abilities as an early childhood educator or even as a teacher will be discredited and seen as fluke or luck rather than skill, talent, or hard-work.

Imagine a classroom in which the teacher, ECE(s), and EA(s) get along professionally and can even be social at times. Imagine that the teacher is not social with the rest of the team. Imagine that one of the ECEs comes in early and stays late and sinks all of his/her money into the programming they create. Imagine the other ECE is does not put out activities or join in on the programming sessions. Finally, imagine that the EA is completely short with the staff, walks around with an angry look, and rarely returns pleasantries.

Take a look at this and think of your own situations. No team or individual is perfect, despite what some people may show. When I think of my team and even just the individuals I cross paths with each day I realize I make judgments quickly. Then I let those ideas of mine affect the way I work with those individuals, talk with them, and react to them. I am guilty of an eye roll or two.

Lets look at the action and our reaction to the “weak links” we think we know:
            Their Actions:                       V.S                          My Perception:

1.  A distant/ quiet individual          –>             A colleague that does not want to socialize (snob)
2.  Does not come up with activities   –>             A lazy colleague (no initiative)
3.  Does everything                        –>            A control freak (does not value your work/ can do better)

The weak think you were thinking of may have their own reasons for why they act the way they do. They may be dealing with something personal, financial, or just may not be used to working in the childcare environment. Stress is a big factor in the way we act. Depending upon the changes in my room you could be dealing with Dr. Jekyll or Mrs. Hyde.

Ultimately, you become the weak link. When we point our fingers at each other we are no better than the children we are trying to teach. They see everything and we can’t really expect them to get along and be accepting when we cannot be. Realize that you may be your team’s weak link. When emotions reach  their boiling point because they have been bottled for so long it is enough to break any sort of relationship you have. Take the time to understand your team. However, if one person really is just a sour puss take the time to understand that and maybe just leave them to their own devices!

The Everyday Educator