Today I was visiting an early childhood training organization's website to discover what workshops were available in the Rochester area and to register for any new ones. As a director I am always looking for excellent training that would improve my teaching and my administrative skills. Like many directors, I was multitasking; in this case I was mending a red teddy bear while I was reading. The bear, which is the much loved possession of one of the three year old boys, often comes into the office to have his seams closed or his limbs reattached.
The workshop list contained trainings on many of the skills that child care directors need: staff orientation, marketing, supervisory skills, fiscal skills, and child assessment. The combination of trainings and red bear made me think about other imprtant trainings that child care directors could use. The training catalog should include:
1. Basic sewing - This course would give the director expertise in mending stuffed animals, dolls, and blankets. A segment will cover clothing, since once staff members discover that the director can sew, they will bring in garments that need to be hemmed or to have buttons reattached. (I have even had children bring me their clothes that needed to be mended.)
2. Plumbing for Dummies - Learn how to replace a faucet, repair a leaking pipe, replace a trap which has developed a hole, and how to unclog a toilet that is full of tp, Legos, shoes, etc. Plungers, snakes, and wrenches will be provided, but they will not necessarily be the correct size/strength.
3. Beginning Carpentry - This course would give you the skills to replace hooks in cubbies, replace the backs on mailbox units, and wood glue the arms back on the rocking chair. Included at no extra charge is information on assembling wood kitchen sets that come with one part missing and directions that were written by someone who has never seen the kitchen set plans or parts.
4. Midwifery - Provides the necessary skills to deal with birthing mothers, including hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and (in one memorable incident) staff members. This course may be taken in combination with:
5. Ceremonies - This course will help the director to recognize and handle all of the details that need to be considered when planning a pet's funeral. Topics covered include picking out the correct size shoe box, stealing a receiving blanket from the baby room without being caught, the funeral procession to the playground (single file vs. double file), and musical arrangements (how many songs should the children pick out?). As a special bonus, there will be information on funerals that involve flushing fish.
6. Treasure Hunting - Learn valuable information about removing stones, beads, Legos, etc. from noses and ears.
7. Physics - Discover how to remove blocks, balls, and matchbox cars from objects that they could not possibly fit into.
More courses will be available on request.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Let's All Honk!
As a child care director, I attend leadership conferences. This gives me a chance to network with other directors and exchange ideas as well as helping me to improve my directing skills. (Like many directors, I became a director with two weeks notice and little administrative experience, so I learned by fumbling along) A popular theme in administrative meetings right now is imitating geese and flying in a V. The discussions cover how geese help each other, share the burden, and stay with the geese who are having trouble. These are great ideas, but I think that we could improve by following other aspects of geese.
I know that many think of geese are a nuisance, but I love them. I love watching the large V as they fly overhead on their way south or north. My heart lifts when I hear them honking because I know that they are signaling a change in the seasons. I love seeing them in the cornfields as they break their journey and look for corn that was missed in the harvest. I love the special times that I spy snow geese near the Canadian geese. My favorite time, however, is when the goslings hatch and start to venture out with their parents.
Recently, I was driving through a business park while taking a short cut on my way to pick up the center's weekly order at Sam's Club. As I rounded a curve, I noticed that traffic was stopped in both lanes. Was it an accident? A breakdown? A traffic stop? No - it was a Canadian goose strutting across the road followed by eight fuzzy yellow goslings. They were stepping across the street in a perfect line while about a dozen cars sat and waited for them to pass. Even better, another goose was at the end of the line, marching sedately behind all of the others. As the last gosling cleared the curb, he stopped in the middle of the lane, raised his head, and honked at all of the cars. I chuckled about him all day long.
Why should we copy the geese? They knew where their children were at all times, and kept them protected between the two adults. I am not talking about turning everyone into the helicopter parents who never give their children freedom to grow or to make mistakes, but about those parents (and, unfortunately, caregivers) who never seem to know where their children are much of the time. I cannot be the only one who has watched a little one wander around the mall while their parent is on their cell phone. How does a parent leave a child in a Burger King when the family leaves? How can a child care provider leave a child on the playground when everyone goes inside? How can a bus driver leave a child on the bus for six hours while the bus sits in the garage? The geese seem to do it better than many humans manage to do.
Several days ago I was in Wegmans doing the week's grocery stopping. A young child (4 or 5) was upset because his little brother had his toy and would not give it back. The mother kept telling him to be quiet because his brother was using the toy. The boy, who was becoming quite upset, went into the produce preperation area, which was empty for the evening. The mother, whose child was now out of sight in an area that was filled with big knives for cutting up fruit and who knows what else, reacted by saying, "Good-bye, Bobby" and pushing the cart out of the produce area and into the grocery area. Fortunately, the older brother, who was about seven, came back, brought the boy out of the preparation area, and followed the mother. This is one child who would have benefited from being raised by a goose.
I know that many think of geese are a nuisance, but I love them. I love watching the large V as they fly overhead on their way south or north. My heart lifts when I hear them honking because I know that they are signaling a change in the seasons. I love seeing them in the cornfields as they break their journey and look for corn that was missed in the harvest. I love the special times that I spy snow geese near the Canadian geese. My favorite time, however, is when the goslings hatch and start to venture out with their parents.
Recently, I was driving through a business park while taking a short cut on my way to pick up the center's weekly order at Sam's Club. As I rounded a curve, I noticed that traffic was stopped in both lanes. Was it an accident? A breakdown? A traffic stop? No - it was a Canadian goose strutting across the road followed by eight fuzzy yellow goslings. They were stepping across the street in a perfect line while about a dozen cars sat and waited for them to pass. Even better, another goose was at the end of the line, marching sedately behind all of the others. As the last gosling cleared the curb, he stopped in the middle of the lane, raised his head, and honked at all of the cars. I chuckled about him all day long.
Why should we copy the geese? They knew where their children were at all times, and kept them protected between the two adults. I am not talking about turning everyone into the helicopter parents who never give their children freedom to grow or to make mistakes, but about those parents (and, unfortunately, caregivers) who never seem to know where their children are much of the time. I cannot be the only one who has watched a little one wander around the mall while their parent is on their cell phone. How does a parent leave a child in a Burger King when the family leaves? How can a child care provider leave a child on the playground when everyone goes inside? How can a bus driver leave a child on the bus for six hours while the bus sits in the garage? The geese seem to do it better than many humans manage to do.
Several days ago I was in Wegmans doing the week's grocery stopping. A young child (4 or 5) was upset because his little brother had his toy and would not give it back. The mother kept telling him to be quiet because his brother was using the toy. The boy, who was becoming quite upset, went into the produce preperation area, which was empty for the evening. The mother, whose child was now out of sight in an area that was filled with big knives for cutting up fruit and who knows what else, reacted by saying, "Good-bye, Bobby" and pushing the cart out of the produce area and into the grocery area. Fortunately, the older brother, who was about seven, came back, brought the boy out of the preparation area, and followed the mother. This is one child who would have benefited from being raised by a goose.
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