Michelle has an open mind and is willing to make
changes. Her disposition is intent on making improvements for her
program and is trying new things to improve the center. Michelle did
not focus on what may have been done wrong in the past. She focuses on
what need to be done to improve now. By providing side-by-side mentoring
appealed to work. I think it is such a great idea for teachers to know what
they are doing from the start and learn the new procedures and how the school
runs. Having new employees learn from regular staff can lead to relationship
building and new things can be learned by both parties. Her idea of
letting new teachers observe in the classrooms is great, as well as meeting one
hour a week with staff members. How do we know if the changes we are
making are the right and positive changes? How can directors communicate what
needs to be changed and adjusted? How can we learn from mistakes and move
on for new and positive changes?
Hi Yhardsom,
ReplyDeleteRelationships and risk-taking -- your blogs offer a way to consider a vision that creates space for developing relationship and risk-taking. How might these values work together to develop the aspects of the triangle? Can risk-taking exist without the presence of relationships? What is the role of the director in risk-taking? Is it only about the director taking risks? the teachers? the children? How might risk-taking be defined within the context and culture of a community?
Jeanne
Hi Yhardsom,
ReplyDeleteHow do we apply some of Michelle’s willingness for change in our own programs as teachers? How can teachers and directors share power and respect that can enable and motivate both to use their power to learn and do things the right way? What do teachers need from their directors and vice versa? How can teachers learn what role they are playing in shaping their program? How can mutual respect happen between workers to count on each other if genuine trust is to grow and thrive?
Hi Som,
ReplyDeleteI read that you liked that the new staff gets to learn from that staff that's already established. It is a good idea because it is peer learning and I feel that peer to peer learning gets more interaction and questions are asked. How can a director make sure that the staff are teaching and learning what the expectations are for the school? What approach does a director need to take without making people feel incompetent? How does a director get through to the staff members that feel that a previous director did a better job and don't want to make the more toward a change?
Hey Yhardsom,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way you feel about Michelle. I think you made a point when talking about when new staff is mentored by older staff. Doing this enables for both people to learn new things from each other. Relationships also begin to form with each other when they work closely together. I have experienced this personally when I first started working in my center. My director paired me up with one of the teachers for a week so I can learn how things work and also learn new things from her. It really made an impact in our friendship as well, because I chose her to be my mentor for my first practicum at HCC and I learned so much. These mentors also are models for us.