People Not Products
November 9, 2009
In Auckland, New Zealand, Colin Gibbs made a summing-up
"What we emphasize in education is generally what we get. When we emphasize achievement above all else, then we are likely to produce achievement above all else. High achievement is desirable. But at what cost? When education becomes focused on production — namely, evidence of demonstrable achievement — then we have lost what it means to be educated. Teaching and learning are not just about achievement or quality-assured products. They are about care, compassion, love, hope, joy, passion, grace, relationship, and more. They are about people and how we nurture and are nurtured on our ¬learning journeys."
I think this was one of my favorite articles. The truth of the matter is we are working with young children and there are two many facets to a child to box them into one way of doing things. Truly enough in our own lives what we focus on we will begin to head that way. As a parent, I feel, much of my time is spent keeping my children focused. Focused on good things, important goals, activities that will, frankly, keep them out of trouble. I want them to allow them to grow up with all opportunities open for them.
One day the child will be an adult. Looking at the child we need to futuristically see them as an adult. Would this be the best to run my classroom through this concept? Do I really need to spend so much time on this activity? What lessons should I spend time on? Is atmosphere more important than what I teach or say? Will they remember what I said or will they remember and model after my attitude toward life and learning?
I know I’m a director right now; however, I spend sometime every day with children, laughing. We have the most wonderful job in the world. Children in all there curiosity and beauty surround us everyday. I’m thankful for this. I want each child to feel accepted and loved….important in our environment.
Overlooking the class this semester; I can say I’ve been forced to relook at what I do. To reexamine and justify why and how I do things. I felt stretched at times…but it’s good for me. Our book was filled with solid practices for early childhood centers to have. Honestly, when I left work and began reading I felt like I was back at work. I should have done my reading during the day, haha like I have time to! Well anyway, the additional material was much more palatable for me to swallow. I really enjoyed seeing other sites and looking at people’s visions and dreams for ECE center come to life. Reading about other people with passion for this field was wonderful.
Reading people blogs opened up my eyes/ears to my fellow colleagues voices. Many of them felt the same as I did. Sometimes I felt they were reading my week. For instant; one blog “Susan Woods”, whom I’ve never met or spoke with, was talking about child care connection and how she felt frustrated/stressed with the changes. At that moment I could have written that blog (almost word for word) because I was feeling the same way.
Thank-you Jeanne for this class and thanks to all my classmates for reading my blogs and sharing you minds and hearts! We are connected in many ways because of our love for children.
Oh Jeanne I’m so excited for you and your baby!!! What a beautiful event happened this semester and we all were able to share your joy!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
#15 Finance & Marketing
11/26/09
EveryDay Exchange: Getting Unstuck
I enjoyed this article. I think from time to time we all fall into ruts. Having goals is very important. Setting your vision on your goals helps to keep you clarified and focused. When you have a goal it seems easier to work hard. It gives purpose to what you are doing.
Exercise also helps to get unstuck. I was getting up early and jogging…wow my day was so much better. It took some discipline to keep in the habit, but it’s well worth it.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 7 & 8
Affordable programs for low-income families are of lower quality than government subsidized ones (Blau & Hagy, 1998). Page 177 Planning and Administrating Early Childhood Programs; Decker , Decker, Freeman & Knopf . Wow what a statement! According to who’s a criterion? What are they calling quality? I’ve seen quite the opposite. This kinda boils my blood. I can read these statements and I know we are supposed to accept the source, but my gut is yelling out “wrong”. I have worked in subsidized schools that had no concept of “love”. You could not hug a child, everything became generic and routines ruled the day. The classrooms were not cleaned to my expectation; however, they met the government’s approval so that’s all that mattered. The curriculum was “approved” and the children continually had “choice” but nothing was customized around a wonderful event that spontaneously happened. Ok…I’m leaving this now…sorry for the outburst. I think I see quality in terms of loving life and passion; where maybe “quality” cannot be measured in those terms. To me happy children are more important than perfect marks on Accreditation scoring sheet (accreditation is important). The development of Lifelong learners and children who feel safe in a crazy world are our greatest assets. Love is the strongest force in this world. A child that knows they are loved and believed in, will successes no matter what the obstacle, and yes they will face obstacles.
Developing a budget is very important. It gets easier once you have entered the “race”. Your line-item classification becomes more clear and unchanging. This gives you the ability to make pretty accurate projections. I’ve mentioned in the past I wrote and receive two large grants. What a blessing when you receive money that is above your budget! It enabled us to purchase things that we had dreamed about.
I hired a teacher who had been the director of a school. The school she directed had gone out of business. She described to me inflated teacher and director salaries, but over stuffed classrooms without proper teacher-student ratio. Yes, they could brag that they were paid more than anywhere else but the she was not following a budget that worked in Early Childhood education. There are many factors to look at. Page 191-192 of Planning and Administrating Early Childhood Programs; Decker, Decker, Freeman & Knopf, shows a budget. It does not mention insurance, not health insurance but liability. Liability insurance, in which you must have, is very expensive. Maybe I’m just not seeing it, but it’s worth talking about.
Isn’t it funny how we are study chapter 7 & 8 right when all the subsidy cut backs are happening in our state? I had a feeling something was coming down the pipe when people were getting cut off of subsidy for what I considered “silly things”. I had one mom tell me she was told they could not give her, her subsidy because she had not had her husband’s company use letterhead paper when writing concerning his income. Now he had been at the same company for years and Child Care Connection knows this. Later we found out “2009 fiscal year” was short on money.
Every day I’m being talked to by parents who are being affected by the cut backs. One single mother told me she was planning to quite work and go back on welfare. She had just got her medical assistant degree and is hired at Queens Medical center. Her husband’s in jail and she has one income with two children needing care. They have cut back her childcare to a place she cannot make it. What should I have said? I care for this family, but answers delude me. I find myself compassionately listening without conclusion. What would you say? Would you offer advice? Will it get better or worse before better?
EveryDay Exchange: Getting Unstuck
I enjoyed this article. I think from time to time we all fall into ruts. Having goals is very important. Setting your vision on your goals helps to keep you clarified and focused. When you have a goal it seems easier to work hard. It gives purpose to what you are doing.
Exercise also helps to get unstuck. I was getting up early and jogging…wow my day was so much better. It took some discipline to keep in the habit, but it’s well worth it.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 7 & 8
Affordable programs for low-income families are of lower quality than government subsidized ones (Blau & Hagy, 1998). Page 177 Planning and Administrating Early Childhood Programs; Decker , Decker, Freeman & Knopf . Wow what a statement! According to who’s a criterion? What are they calling quality? I’ve seen quite the opposite. This kinda boils my blood. I can read these statements and I know we are supposed to accept the source, but my gut is yelling out “wrong”. I have worked in subsidized schools that had no concept of “love”. You could not hug a child, everything became generic and routines ruled the day. The classrooms were not cleaned to my expectation; however, they met the government’s approval so that’s all that mattered. The curriculum was “approved” and the children continually had “choice” but nothing was customized around a wonderful event that spontaneously happened. Ok…I’m leaving this now…sorry for the outburst. I think I see quality in terms of loving life and passion; where maybe “quality” cannot be measured in those terms. To me happy children are more important than perfect marks on Accreditation scoring sheet (accreditation is important). The development of Lifelong learners and children who feel safe in a crazy world are our greatest assets. Love is the strongest force in this world. A child that knows they are loved and believed in, will successes no matter what the obstacle, and yes they will face obstacles.
Developing a budget is very important. It gets easier once you have entered the “race”. Your line-item classification becomes more clear and unchanging. This gives you the ability to make pretty accurate projections. I’ve mentioned in the past I wrote and receive two large grants. What a blessing when you receive money that is above your budget! It enabled us to purchase things that we had dreamed about.
I hired a teacher who had been the director of a school. The school she directed had gone out of business. She described to me inflated teacher and director salaries, but over stuffed classrooms without proper teacher-student ratio. Yes, they could brag that they were paid more than anywhere else but the she was not following a budget that worked in Early Childhood education. There are many factors to look at. Page 191-192 of Planning and Administrating Early Childhood Programs; Decker, Decker, Freeman & Knopf, shows a budget. It does not mention insurance, not health insurance but liability. Liability insurance, in which you must have, is very expensive. Maybe I’m just not seeing it, but it’s worth talking about.
Isn’t it funny how we are study chapter 7 & 8 right when all the subsidy cut backs are happening in our state? I had a feeling something was coming down the pipe when people were getting cut off of subsidy for what I considered “silly things”. I had one mom tell me she was told they could not give her, her subsidy because she had not had her husband’s company use letterhead paper when writing concerning his income. Now he had been at the same company for years and Child Care Connection knows this. Later we found out “2009 fiscal year” was short on money.
Every day I’m being talked to by parents who are being affected by the cut backs. One single mother told me she was planning to quite work and go back on welfare. She had just got her medical assistant degree and is hired at Queens Medical center. Her husband’s in jail and she has one income with two children needing care. They have cut back her childcare to a place she cannot make it. What should I have said? I care for this family, but answers delude me. I find myself compassionately listening without conclusion. What would you say? Would you offer advice? Will it get better or worse before better?
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