Journal 6

1. The mother’s confidentiality code was violated when the records were sent without her knowledge, and when they discussed her son’s behavior without her being present.

2. The child’s confidentiality code was violated when the teacher decided to tell the other parents that he was a bitter, plus it was he say she say, also when the teachers were discussing him being in an accident.

3. No, Eric's disability should not have been discussed, that is the mother’s job and hers only.

4. The meeting should have included the mother, the director, and the teacher.

5. Yes, with young children it is always helpful because most of the hurtful things they say are not meant to be hurtful but just out of curiosity. If you explain it all in advance there isn’t much left to talk about.

6. I personally would have talked with Eric more to find out how he was feeling because I’m sure he showed signs of being unhappy. A classroom introduction would have been nice to warm him up to the others. There also should have been some rules explained to mom about the p.b and j sandwich in advance to avoid upsetting Eric, and I would have never made a big deal about Elmo at nap if that’s what made him feel better. Eric’s teachers should have been way more compassionate with him.

7. I feel it was definitely inappropriate and way out of line. It was not her business and it was unprofessional. And even if the parent shared that info with her, which they didn’t, it’s not her place to put that families business out, it makes her look bad and it’s a very bad first impression.

8. Even if the conversation was at the center, it was not her place. If you wouldn’t say it in front of that family then you probably shouldn’t be saying it at all.

9. For starters I would not let anyone else’s experience form my opinion of another person or child, also her statement about him having ADHD should have never happened, if mom said that she wanted information on it then fine, but she isn’t a doctor just a director so she shouldn’t have said that. I would never use the word bad when describing a child in my care or compare him to others as she did, I feel like the director and teachers made the mom uncomfortable and that’s a big no no. And if I ever found out about what the teachers said about Eric and his parents, and the situations that took place at lunch and nap they would be in my office apologizing to Eric and his mother and explaining to me why they deserve a job in my facility! Not to mention all the gossip, this staff needs some serious guidance.

10. If I was the director I would do my best to ensure her that the problem had been resolved, but honestly if I was the mom I would not bring my child back, I would be highly upset at how my child was treated.

11. I didn’t say I wouldn’t move him; however that can be hard on a child moving from place to place.

Journal 5

Staff Meeting Agenda

v  Attendance

Ø  Remember to sign in and out correctly daily.

Ø  If tardy please remember to call in and if absent please remember to speak to the person in charge 1 hour before your shift, No voice mails. No habits please.

v  In the Classrooms

Ø  Remember to greet each child and parent with a smile.

Ø  Television is an educational tool not a babysitter. If it is on it must be part of your lesson and on your lesson plan.

Ø  All rooms free of clutter and kept clean and neat.

Ø  Please make sure bleach water is made daily and clearly marked.

Ø  NO CELL PHONES in the classrooms.

v  Infant and Toddler Rooms

Ø  Make sure we are doing daily sheets hourly and properly filling them out.

Ø  Make sure each child’s items are marked with their name, bottles, formula, food, and etc., this is very important.

Ø  Make sure you check diapers before departure, even if you just checked it 5 minutes before.

v  Reminders

Ø  Make sure we are washing our hands, and the children’s. Keep those germs away!

Ø  Daily health and safety checks for classroom and playground.

Ø  Please do health checks on children upon arrival, I know it gets busy at times but do your best as soon as possible.

Ø  Let’s make sure our lessons plans are kept up to date and posted, and remember they are to be approved by the previous Wednesday.

Ø  Make sure we are reading, and the art center is open EVERY DAY!

v  Upcoming Events

Ø Our parent meeting is next week; we need to increase parent involvement! Any ideas?

Ø  We will be starting our fundraiser next month. Final decision will be made in parent meeting.

Ø Deadlines for Mini Prom and Graduation themes are approaching. Ideas will be presented in parent meeting next week.

Ø  Sign-up sheet for CPR and First Aid will be up front for those who need it.

Ø  No Staff Birthday Party this month, because there are no birthdays, sorry guys.

v  Open Topic

Ø  Any questions or suggestions?

Ø  I will continue to do monthly observations and weekly room checks.

Ø  Welcome our new staff member!

v  Thank You

Ø  I want to thank you all for all your hard work, dedication, and for working as a team. We are doing a great job, but we need to remember what we discussed today and the importance of it, we had a great month now let’s have another one!

I think it is important to have monthly staff meetings because it cuts down on confusion, helps everyone get on the same page, and gives the staff an opportunity to give their feedback. It is a great form of communication that is beneficial to both staff and management, your main focus can be on the children if you are all on the same page.  Staff meetings are also a great time to inform staff of new rules and remind them of old ones.  In a good staff meeting everyone should leave knowing what is expected of them and why it is expected.

Journal 4

When someone does not use my name, gives me the cold shoulder, or does not make eye contact with me, and they greet me with only complaints, it totally depends on my relationship with that person. If it is someone that I normally have a close relationship with, like a family member, or a friend, it would bother me and make me feel like what I had to say wasn’t worthy of their time. I would also think they didn’t respect me or our relationship as friends. If it was a stranger treating me in this manner I would be offended. It would also make me mad because I feel like I am giving you respect and I expect the same in return. And chances are unless I received an apology, that would be the way I viewed you from then on and I wouldn’t have very much to say to that person from that point on.

I have been in a situation where I received that type of treatment at work, and it was my supervisor, I didn’t like it at all. The staff worked there before she was transferred to our center and she had a lack of respect for all of us, and complained about everything. It made the work environment very stressful and nobody wanted to be bothered with her. I respected her as my supervisor and my elder but I didn’t allow her to be disrespectful to me. I also asked her could she try and find at least one positive thing to say with the negative, it makes a difference to people when they know they have done at least one thing right. Nobody deserves to be ignored or disrespected and if I feel that I am being treated that way I will ask you not to say anything else to me until you can respect me as I respect you.

Journal 3

Journal Entry 3

2.1a        If a parent wanted me to bend a rule of having nut products in the center I would simple explain to them why the rule has no exceptions in this manner. I apologize that you feel indifferent about this situation but we can’t have any nut products in any of the classrooms. This is because some children have a severe allergy to peanut products and cannot come in contact with them at all. We never know if a child could carry it out the room or simply have something on their hands, so in this case we would rather be safe than sorry. I hope that you understand and stand by me in this promise I have made to these children and their families in order to maintain a safe environment for all. I truly hope this doesn’t change your mind on celebrating Mea’s birthday with her class because you are more than welcome to bring your other snacks. And I do thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

2.1b       I feel like this situation can be handled in more than one way, depending on your staff. If I had a staff member wanting me to change the schedule for them due to the circumstances, I would meet with my staff individually and ask them if they were OK with giving that day up during his/her time of need. If so then that would be the days she work those hours. If the time wasn’t available I would explain that I am sorry you’re in this position but unfortunately we will have to stick to the original schedule because I have to be fair to all staff members, however I am mindful of the situation and we may be able to work together on the time you need off. I feel like we all have to understand that things happen that are totally out of our control, and if you want your staff to be there for you, you have to do your best to be there for them.

2.2a        Honestly I never share my exact bulletin board ideas for this very reason, however my lesson plan is a different story. If a teacher borrows my lesson plan ideas I don’t mind, now if a teacher asked me for bulletin board ideas I don’t mind helping them come up with some great ideas. No if my ideas are stolen from me I’m not going to be confrontational about it, it’s not that serious but I will make sure that particular person is not around when I’m planning in the future.

2.2b       I would first apologize to the father that the incident happened and that I was unaware of it. And ask if he would like to speak with me about it to see if we can reach a resolution. If not I would schedule a meeting for him to meet with the director and myself and his convenience. If he calms down and wants to talk with me I would explain to him that I understand why he is upset, and that it is not uncommon for these types of things to occur among young children from time to time. I do however apologize that I was unable to inform you of the incident, if I had known I would have immediately made documentation of it and notified you if necessary. In this situation your daughter didn’t inform me of the problem nor did she cry. In the future I will let her know the importance of telling me if she has a problem. I do however pay close attention to all my children in my care at all times but that doesn’t mean I see everything, sometimes are busier than others and things do get by me sometimes but I do take full responsibility and if you would like to meet with my director that can be arranged for you sir.