The Power of Choices

Hopkins-Locke Center, Room 2
Miss Julie, AA- Concentration in Early Childhood; hired 1997 (pictured)
Miss Nilda (Floater), CDA; hired 1999

This week I was in a classroom with a head teacher and a floater. Our 11 floaters are experienced in the classroom with most being former assistant teachers. They substitute for absent teachers or have temporary assignments if we have vacancies. Presently, we have three head teacher vacancies which are keeping our floaters especially busy.

I started with Miss Julie and Miss Nilda before children came in for the day. There is much to be done between clocking in and greeting children 30 minutes later. While I was there a brief staff meeting was held for all teachers. We took down the chairs from up on the tables. Putting the chairs up helps the custodians clean the floors each night. Teachers sanitize the table tops each morning. They also stage their lessons and organize the room based on the day’s planned activities. It is all about getting the day off to a good start.

In Room 2 the children are welcomed one of four ways: a bear hug, a smile, a tickle finger hand shake or a high five. The children know to find their name tags and vote on which welcome they will get by matching their tags with their choice. This technique allows Miss Julie to find out which children like hugs and which ones are more reserved. It also helps her gauge whether a child is tired or may have had a challenging morning. One by one, Miss Julie literally makes the moment when children go from being with their parent or guardian to being in the care of staff a personalized hand off.

Some of the children took a few seconds to choose. Most, however, knew what they wanted right away. Either way, a confident preschooler stands tall and smiles. There is such power in choice, especially when your choices are respected. Whether you are 3 or 53, being where you are welcome and have a say in what happens makes for a good environment.

What I Learned from Miss Julie:
The children seek out and gather closely around Miss Julie. Unfazed, she lets them know their turn is coming without taking any focus away from the child in front of her. People who are in the moment are calm, responsive, focused and decisive. I was truly inspired by how present Miss Julie was with the children. It is a skill she has clearly cultivated, and how she uses that skill is a gift.

What I Learned from Miss Nilda:
Getting back to choices, I could not help but notice that during free play Miss Nilda guided children without making choices for them. The rooms are organized with toys and defined spaces for children to use as wanted. She asked each one what was next. After helping to set up as needed, she left them to their discovery.

Memorable Moment:
At one point a child was crying and another child went out of her way to find him a tissue. The crisis was over by the time she could get the tissue to the other child. Such natural empathy bodes well for that child becoming a future counselor or doctor. Regardless of what profession, interpersonal skills are some of the most difficult to learn. She will likely go far.

Linking It Together:
With recent restructuring, resignations and retirements, almost half of our staff is newly hired. All of our site administrator positions have new people in place as well, though only one is a new hire. This makes us both old and new. Employees are navigating the changes. Most are navigating very well.

For the last few years, I’ve heard often from employees across the agency that they felt micromanaged. In response to that, we are managing differently this year. We cannot let go of stringent licensing requirements or program performance standards; but we are focused more on setting expectations and less on issuing edicts. We created a new Practice-Based Coaching Teacher position to support staff differently.

Many organizations fall into the trap of designing systems and setting expectations based on their poorest performing employees. Not surprisingly, when expectations are eroded, morale suffers. Instead, we choose to address each employee's performance issues with them. When employees need support, attention or correction, they will receive it as the individuals they are. We believe this approach is more appropriate for the standard of professionalism our staff is capable of and more effective in general.

This year we are choosing to celebrate all of those who are good at what they do. We are sharing specifics of what makes them good so that the goodness can spread.

There truly is power in choice. Teachers structure their classrooms to be places that children flourish. Organizations are no different. We all have to choose what we want for ourselves and our co-workers. Each morning the children in Room 2 figure out how to get going with a good start. This year, we are doing that, too.