Room 6
Mrs. Jennifer, Masters-ECE, hired 2014
Mrs. Geetha, BA-ECE, hired 2008
When Stars Align
The State of Ohio implemented the Step Up to
Quality rating system for preschools and day care centers several years ago.
This year the system was updated from three starred levels to five starred
levels. SUTQ already influences which programs are selected for additional
funding opportunities. It is also driving improvements in training and
credentials of both teachers and administrators.
Currently, all LCCAA's Head Start centers have
earned three stars. While pleased and proud, we are already looking and working
to increase our rankings. We have locations that will move up to five stars within
the next 12 to 18 months.
This brings me to my weekly classroom visit
at Hopkins-Locke, which received notice that its three star rating was renewed
while I was on site. I walked into Room 6 mid-morning to find students "ice
skating" on carpet using paper plates as skates. The theme of the week was
ice and snow. There was snow in the water table with utensils and toys to
manipulate it into shapes and structures. We ate ice cubes filled with fruit
and fruit juice. All of these activities grew from the creativity and
dedication of the two teachers. We played in the gym area where every child
found fun in pedaling, climbing, sliding, throwing balls or balancing on
movable stepping stones. In the course of playing we identified colors, counted
and shared quite nicely. Gym was followed by time with the Spanish teacher who visits
all classrooms weekly. It sure felt like a five-star experience.
What I learned from Mrs. Geetha
Geetha personally shopped for the fruit and
made the ice cubes as a treat for the children. Those fruity ice cubes sparked
plenty of conversation. However, some of it involved the candor of young
children and their well-voiced fruit preferences. I admired how Mrs. Geetha
handled the feedback. She was graciousness personified.
What I Learned from Mrs. Jennifer
I asked Jennifer about the new curriculum we
invested in this year. The curriculum aligns to our classroom evaluation
methods and student assessment systems. Our objective was to strengthen lesson
planning and help teachers more readily link children's learning with intended
outcomes. Her observations were balanced and clearly stemmed from seeking to
understand and use the materials in the best way possible.
Memorable Moment
I had two memorable moments. The first was in
another room. A teacher, Mr. Mark, did a science experiment with the children
using eggs. Submerse an egg in pure vinegar for at least 24 hours and see what
happens. You can also add food coloring to the vinegar like Mr. Mark did. I
don’t want to give anything away but I will say the students used the word
"squishy" at one point.
The second memorable moment involved playtime
in the gym. I played basketball with a very focused boy. He slam dunked and
threw for three pointers and made up both his score and mine as we went along.
His scoring was creative but surprisingly fair. When I made a more difficult
shot, he gave me three points. He cannot add and subtract yet so the numbers
were all over the place. Following one of his all-star, long-distance throws
that caught the rim and circled twice before dropping through the net, he declared
himself the winner. I conceded.
Linking It Together
When I am at the centers I notice all of the
things that still need addressing. Sometimes it is little “just do it” types of
things. Other times I know that we have to finish addressing underlying issues before
the changes being made result in day-to-day differences.
As part of Step Up to Quality, we are
required to do an annual staff survey. We conducted ours earlier this month. We
did so knowing we were only 80 working days into a significant staffing change
(adding team teaching and bachelor degreed teachers). Our Educational Services
Team used a survey designed specifically for early childhood environments and
57 employees took it anonymously.
Many valid frustrations were documented. Some
related to recent changes and others related to areas we are working to
improve. For instance, we are working through a plan to provide stronger employee
recognition and performance evaluation. It has not been a small undertaking;
and it will be several months before we begin training management staff on new
forms and procedures. All staff will not be involved until the new school year
in the fall.
There was one shining statistic that says we
are and will continue to make progress. One of the last questions in the survey
asked staff to rate their commitment to teaching in early childhood: 92 percent said they are committed to doing
what they do as their life’s vocation. A whopping 74 percent of those rated themselves
as “very committed.” A full 53 percent rated their commitment a 10 out of 10.
This high level of commitment shows itself with
eggs in vinegar and paper plates as skates. It shows itself as meaningful
lesson plans. It shows itself with children who feel safe and secure to learn.
It is demonstrated in the encouraging words and patient addressing of behaviors.
It is a commitment born inside each individual teacher and no amount of
training will create it or make up for if it is lacking. We talk about the new
energy in our program. The buzz is coming from teacher commitment; and I
believe the strength of it will allow us to work out the rest.
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