Middle Chilhood Play Memories

I have some great middle childhood play memories, as I look back, those days seem like the best in my life. Even though I was an avid reader I looked forward to being able to go outside and play. I liked to jump rope, double dutch was my favorite. I started jumping double dutch when I was about seven years old and I still jump to this day. I taught my three oldest daughters how to jump and if they are jumping I will definitely join in on the game. I can remember riding bikes with my friends. We use to race our bikes up and down the block. I remember we use to make up obstacle courses and we would incorporate several games into one. We would ride our bikes to a point, then hurry put on our skates and skate to the next point and finally we would run to the finish line to win.

Some other games that I enjoyed were hopscotch, foursquare and dodge ball. I was very active when I was that age so I ran every where I went. On the playground I would always want to play running games like tag , monster or whatever we made up for the day. I liked to play marbles, I use to carry my bag of marbles everywhere. It was fun to win some one's marbles but it wasn't fun when you would lose. I remember back when I was six years old one of my favorite games was jacks. I could never beat my aunt so I practiced all the time until one day I beat her. I also remember playing slide and other hand games with my friends.

Now that I am thinking about it I really do not engage in most of the activities that I enjoyed as a child. Like I will still jump rope or ride a bike every now and then but for the most part I have lost that part of me.

How Would You Lead?

I can remember this situation that occurred between two teachers that I worked with. One day I came to work to find two teachers fighting, they were actually hitting each other with closed fists. It all started about two weeks earlier, on a Friday at an outdoor gathering that the school had sponsored. We were allowed to bring our family members but we understood that we were still at work. There was no dress code change verbally or written. One teacher was married and the other was not. They both were young, the married one was about 28 years old and the single one was 22 years old. We were outside at a park and it was hot. The teacher that was single decided to wear her school t-shirt with some little bitty shorts. These shorts were so short that when she bent down you could see more than what was appropriate for a workplace event. The Director just shook her head and started setting up the games. The single teacher kept asking men to help her with various tasks such as: carrying the grill and coals, setting out blankets and getting her supplies for the children. She seemed to always be engaged in conversation with the married teacher's husband. They spent a lot of time together laughing and talking. The married teacher did her work with her group as she was a Lead Teacher and the single teacher had more time to converse with people because she was not responsible for anyone except her morning class and by lunch time she had a lot of free time. She seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the other teacher's husband. On Monday when we came to work they were arguing about what had happen on Friday, a lot of harsh words were said and the Director came and said it was time for work and that was it. For the next two weeks their was a lot of tension and gossiping during break. The situation had the employees divided and giving their opinion. Then on that Friday morning the situation erupted into a brawl while children were being dropped off. Some parents that witnessed the incident decided not to leave their children for the day and called the parents of some of the other children to inform them of what had happen. Those parents that could make alternative childcare arrangements did so and came to pick up their children. The Director broke up the fight and separated the two teachers. Do you think that the Director handled the situation appropriately? Explain.

Supervision Assesment

What are your strengths that are most helpful to staff (teachers)?

My strengths that are most helpful for my staff are: my experience, my sense of fairness, my value of simplicity, courage, loyalty and dedication. Since I was a teacher I understand the fears, demands that they face (children,program, personal life and parents), and stress of the job. I plan on conveying that in my approach when dealing with the staff and this will help them by feeling that I can relate to what they are facing. My experience as a teacher will be a reminder to me to have sympathy for my staff as I can recall the feelings of being a new teacher and one with experience. They are both at different stages and still need guidance and support just on different levels. With these thoughts in mind I will be able to use this to inspire my new teachers to have confidence in their abilities and inspire my experience teachers to always be creative and never become stagnate.

My sense of fairness will keep me objective in the times of crisis. I will use this strength to be the needed mediator and deliver a judgement not on emotions but what is right. My staff will be able to detect that their will be no favoritism and that I value them as individuals as well as a whole. They will always be recognized according to what they have done and not who has been here the longest. This will benefit them as they will feel an open policy and will be eager to seek my help before situations are out of control.

Simplicity is a value that I posses that I think will be useful to my staff as I understand that this is the best way to be in a center. They will be able to relieve the stress of having to live up to some complicated ideals on what a center should be like. We will be able to share this value as it is easy to understand that just keeping it simple you will always be right. When you go and adding more to the plan then is needed that's when things become stressful. So if you need to make a change to improve your classroom environment, do it as long as it is within the vision, procedures or policies of the center. They will see that it is not a lot of curves and twists to get to the root of the problem or concern. As teachers they have enough to do without having things made too complicated to do their jobs.

The strength of courage will give my staff the ability to set goals and pursue those goals with persistence. I will be able to show them how to I face problems head on and look for every possible answer to my problem including seeking outside advice. I hope this inspires my staff to do the same when it comes to their problems and feel that they can come to me because I will have the courage to deal with it and if I can not I will help them seek outside advice.

My staff will benefit from my loyalty as I will always seek to make the program a conducive place for everyone. My loyalty will always have me seeking what is best for us a whole and not just individuals. This will give the staff the confidence to know that what every changes are taking place will always benefit us all.

Staff in my program will benefit from my dedication to my field. I have weighed all the pros and cons of our field and have made a reasonable decision to pursue this career. So I try and learn everything that I can to do a good job at it. They will see that there is no little I's and big U's we each have a role to play and are expected to fulfill those roles to their potential. They can expect me to give the same amount of energy, in most cases more, as they do. This will help them to develop a feeling that what they do is appreciated. They will also benefit by knowing that I will look for the good in them and give the best in me. I will be able to recognize who fits where according to their dedication and if they are the best fit for our program which will eliminate frustration amongst the staff.


What additional skills would you like to gain?

To be an effective leader I think that I would like to gain more in all areas, there are always new techniques on everything from problem solving to organization. I need to keep sharp and never think that I have made it to the top because that's when there is no room for growth, I become stagnant, then I can not inspire others to continue to grow.

Core Values

I have a long lists of values that I think that as a director of a Child Development Program I must have in order to be an effective leader and to ensure my vision is brought to life. The following three are the ones from the top of the list.

• Inclusiveness which keeps the program running smoothly. I think inclusiveness is an important value to have so the staff and director can complement each other and the staff can assist each other where things are not strong by giving feedback and enabling change to take place. If you don't work together than you have people doing their own things and not really getting anything accomplished. Everyone looks at things differently but if you can get them to understand the vision and direction of the program then they will put the energy into keeping things in order. They have to know that they are important to that vision as a staff member, that keeps everyone focus on carrying out the goals of the center. I also understand even though everyone is important their must be a leader to ensure that policies and goals are being carried out and I am that leader. I must first demonstrate that I value the staff by listening and considering others while still making the final decision in order for this value to be expressed.

• Knowledge is very important to have and continue to seek. As a director I must always show that I consider this value important by being knowledgeable. I think this will bring about a level of trust and respect from the staff, parents and community. Which important for the program because if the staff trust and respect you they know that the decisions that you make are for the good of the center as a whole. Parents will be happy to leave their children at the program and feel comfortable that if a problem arises that you will be able to handle it. Community recognition is important to keep the center thriving for this is will your children will come from and if the center is known for its exemplary structure and support there will always be a want for your program.

• Compassion is a must for me as a director. This helps me to stay focus on the reason I was interested in the field of Early Childhood Education in the first place. When I deal with a parent, staff member or a child that is difficult this value helps me to maintain my emotional balance. My compassion reminds me that I don't this for one person but for many. I remind myself that everyone has things to deal with but that I must be flexible without bending my integrity to help others. I am able to see more to each situation than just what is before me, allowing me to seek a solution to the problem instead of just getting upset or ignoring it.

These values are what I base all my interactions, my vision, leadership style, obligations to the program and those who benefit from the program on.

Duties of a Director vs Duties of a Teacher

A director and a teacher do have different duties but they are very closely related to each other. They need each other to be knowledgeable of their position in order to have a successful program.


· A director and a teacher must cater to the needs of the children
· A director must provide adequate funding to enhance the overall program and teachers must use these funds to enhance the quality of materials used for the children
· The director must choose well trained staff, they both must be up-to-date on the latest early childhood education techniques
· The director must maintain an awareness of community trends and family needs to plan the future direction for the center
· The director and teacher must ensure the children are supervised at all times
· A director must provide leadership and overall organization of the program
· The director must have a broad overview of the entire scope of the program and the teacher must plan and implement activities to meet the physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs of the children in the program
· the teacher is responsible for meeting with other educational professionals and parents of the children, the director must meet with the parents, other professionals, represent the center in a variety of meetings and within the community
· They both must ensure the equipment and the facility are clean, well maintained and safe at all times
· The director maintains and records all information for everyone in the center, the teacher records the children’s development
· A director must establish policies and procedures including acceptable disciplinary policies, the teacher must implement these policies and procedures with the children
· The director must communicate clearly with staff and being aware of how things are going throughout the program, the teacher must discuss identified problems and needs with professionals as appropriate
· The director must evaluate and improve weak areas of the entire program, the teacher must do this in their teaching environment
· The director must understand how decisions in one part of the program may impact other parts, while the teacher must understand how their decisions will affect the children
· The director has to make decisions that may be unpopular with others who consider only their own point of view
· They must both be willing to work whatever hours it takes to get the job done



I see both positions as being related but different as the director must perform on a larger scale and the teacher has a more concentrated level. They don't really verse each other but complement one another. They go hand in hand, one without the other is but half. If everyone in the center recognizes that they are all important in the plan and that they cannot effectively perform their duties without the assistance of the other there will be harmony. The staff must also demonstrate respect for the fact the director has to look out for the good of the entire center and when they do this they look out for them. The main point that makes the difference between the director and the teacher is that the whole program is dependent on the director and whether it fails or succeeds it will ultimately fall on them.

Childhood Memory About School b4 age of 8

I remember when my mom use to take me to childcare. I was about four and I can remember that I loved going to school, because all of my friends were there. I remember one of my friend's name was Kim but she's the only name I can recall. I remember a lot of children being around and playing racing games. We had fish and turtles as pets. There were lots of books and games. I can remember the house area it was set up like a real house. It had a refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer.

I remember one of the best things besides my friends was Mrs. Lovely, my teacher, she was so nice as long as you were good. I remember that if you got hurt she would sing a song and have you sang along if she had to put some alcohol on it to try and distract you from the stinging. She would always give you a hug and say now there you go. She gave out stickers for everything we did. I remember she use to make me feel that I was special. She never said it but I knew it by the way she did things. I use to carry books around in my bag and when every she had time she would read to me alone even if she had just read to the group. It was like she knew that would make me happy. She had a picture of all of the students and she kept it in her wallet. I always felt like she loved us and she would never do anything to harm us. I learned how to read that year and was ahead of my kindergarten class when I started regular school.