So you’ve been hired at Basic Beginnings, and you are on the schedule for your first day on the job…
Now what??
First of all, Welcome!
Your first day on any new job is challenging, and your first day on THIS job is a very important one. You will be meeting children, their families, your coworkers, and some of your supervisors for the very first time. How will you know what to do? What are your priorities?
Our team of teachers created a list of what they believe are the most important things for you to know right from the start.
We have divided them into four categories –
While these things are certainly not the ONLY things you will need to know for your job, they represent some of the common needs of every classroom and they are necessary every day.
Of course, there will be many things you don’t yet know. Our teachers also want you to ask them anything, anytime when you are not sure.
There are no stupid questions around here!
Hey, we get asked things like, “Teacher, what is your third favorite dinosaur?”
Let’s begin at the beginning.
You undoubtedly took this job because you want to work with children. Most of the children you will meet here at our center are not yet old enough for kindergarten.
They are somewhere between 6 weeks and 6 years old. Some are a little older, but not a lot older!
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.”
-Peggy O’Mara
Childhood is an extremely critical time. Their brains are actually being formed right now. These children are looking for answers about themselves:
The answers they come up with are all based upon the way they are treated by adults.
Those impressions will go with them for the rest of their life. �
Everything you say to them matters!
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.”
-Peggy O’Mara
So how do you make sure you are giving children the right answers to those questions? Here are some pointers!
Did you know? In some cultures it is considered disrespectful for a child to make eye contact with an adult. When a child consistently cannot, or will not, make eye contact, check with the child’s family. However, this can also be an indicator of a developmental challenge. Please discuss any concerns or observations with your lead teacher.
Show them that you care. Get down on their level and make eye contact. This makes it easier to talk WITH children rather than AT children.
Introduce yourself to each child.
(WHAT?? HOW?? They’re so little!)
Try this:
Sit beside them at the table. Or on the floor. Or wherever they are playing! By playing with children we show them how to interact with others. How to play cooperatively. How to use good manners. How to share.
Please do NOT just stand and just watch. That’s a sure way to make sure your job is not rewarding.
Sometimes they want to play without us, and that’s okay, too. Just stay nearby in case they need something, and in the meantime, find another child to play with!
Not sure what to say to the kids?
Do you know that all children are telling you something? Even the newborn infant?
Listen to the child.
Listen with your ears, but also with your eyes.
Learn to be constantly asking yourself, “What is this child trying to tell me?”
Sometimes the most challenging behaviors are children asking for help in the only way they know how.
So when they are acting out, try saying,��“I think you are trying to tell me something. I am listening. What can I do to help?”�
This is true for all ages of children, from the youngest infant to the oldest grade school age child you will encounter at Basic Beginnings. It is even true for adults. �
Practice saying that.
You will be assisting the other educators in the room with some of the daily routines of children, such as:
These are the child’s curriculum and they are important parts of the day!
You can help with all of these!
Of course, there are very specific procedures that must be followed for some of these, and those will be covered in separate trainings.
BUT we WANT you to join in,
Right from the very start!
Let’s start with babies…
Before you pick up a baby, make sure you call them by name and let them know you are going to pick them up. Nobody likes to be grabbed!
Tell them where you are taking them, whether it’s to the rocking chair for a bottle, or to the changing table for a fresh diaper.
Just because they don’t respond with words doesn’t mean they don’t understand! You are teaching them respect. For themselves, and for others.
Older children respond well to being included in the plan.
Sometimes even the best plans, including the ones created by experienced and knowledgeable teachers, go awry, especially with children.
Be ready to change your plan if things aren’t going well.
Children change their minds frequently, and what they loved yesterday may be boring today.
Expect that.
And be ready to offer an alternate plan.
Until you get confident in your ability to plan, and to quickly adapt your plans, be sure you ask your lead teacher lots of questions!
They will be happy to help you.
Remember…
“…a child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.”
What type of a mark will you leave on the children you work with?
The Families
The parents want to know you even more than the children do! After all, they will be trusting you to take excellent care of their child.
Greet every parent at the door when they arrive. Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and what your schedule will look like.
SMILE when you greet parents!
They want to know you are enjoying your job, and they are especially concerned that you enjoy their child.
If you are NOT enjoying your job, it is very unprofessional to exhibit that or discuss that with your families. If you need support, make sure you let your lead teacher know right away. We can’t fix it if we don’t know the problem exists.
When they come in to pick up their child, be ready with a story.
Tell them something their child said, or what they enjoyed doing today, or who they played with. Parents are relieved when they can see that you paid attention to their child.
Did their child have a rough time? Save that news for later in the conversation. Or better yet, talk to your lead teacher about that. Parents may jump to the conclusion that you do not like their child. And that is a hard first impression to shake!
Always end the conversation with a goodbye.
And don’t forget to say goodbye to the child, with a promise to “see you tomorrow!”
WRITE IT DOWN!
Make sure you write down notes for the other educators in your classroom. They will need to know what the parents had to say, especially if they had a special request.
Ask your lead teacher where you should leave notes like this, and also where you can read any notes the other teachers left for you.
Guidance and Discipline
Guidance and discipline for young children is a complex subject. There are other trainings you will be completing as part of your job here that provide more details about it, but there are also a few things your lead teachers wanted you to know immediately, right from the very beginning.
Step 1 – �Change the Environment
First, whether you are having trouble working with one child, a few children, or the whole group, you should look at your own actions and at the environment.
Perhaps your expectations for the children are too high…or too low. You must be certain that the children are able to meet your expectations. A classroom of 1 year olds will not be likely to sit still and listen to a story. However, if you sit down and read to one child, or to a small group, you will likely find that other children will join you.
�Young children are not yet ready to share, or to be quiet, or to wait. Those skills don’t develop until much later, and even some adults have never mastered them!
However, by changing your expectations, as well as the toys and activities you offer the children, you may be able to change the response you receive!
The classroom should be organized and should make it clear to the children what play options are available to them. Ask your lead teacher for some “no-fail” activities for when you are stumped!
Guidance and Discipline – Use Positive Statements
Instead of telling children to “stop” or constantly saying, “no,” change your language to positive statements. When you only tell a child what NOT to do, without telling them what you want them TO do, you leave the rest up to their imagination. And that can be a dangerous thing!
Use “please keep your feet on the floor” instead of “get your feet off the table.” Say, “please use your quiet inside voices” instead of, “stop screaming!”
Offering children two positive, acceptable choices encourages the child to make a good decision, but at the same time allows them to maintain some control over their lives.
Think about it. Being a kid and being told what you HAVE to do all the time by big people can be very frustrating.
Rather than saying, “No writing on the table,” try saying, “Would you like to use markers or crayons on this paper so you can take your picture home?”
Guidance and Discipline – Take a Break
Being one person in a whole group is stressful, especially for young children. Sometimes challenging behaviors appear when the group just gets to be overwhelming.
We do not use “time out” as a form of punishment. It is extremely ineffective at helping a child learn to manage behaviors, and only makes a child feel bad about themselves. We DO use “take a break” to allow a child to calm their mind and to manage big emotions.
Remember,
BIG EMOTIONS DO NOT EQUAL BAD KIDS!!
Take a child for a walk, perhaps even outside for a minute or two.
Invite them to help you with a task.
Or just take a few minutes and spend time focusing on the child. Everybody needs a break sometimes, and children are no exception.
The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving of ways.
The way you respond will become part of their thoughts about themselves for the rest of their lives.
Guidance and Discipline – �Work with Parents and �Other Experts
Talk with your lead teacher about any challenges you are experiencing. They will help you navigate through those challenges. You will be a better teacher, a better parent, and a better person using the skills you learn here about guidance and discipline.
We have access to some world-class trainings in Conscious Discipline. All you have to do is ask! Ask your lead teacher, or ask any administrator, and we will get that information to you!
Classroom Procedures
Every classroom in our center is operated a little differently. Each lead teacher is given the freedom to determine daily schedules, classroom arrangement, how the classroom is run, and lesson plans.
You can help your lead teacher by assisting with the daily routines. Of course, you will be trained more thoroughly in things like feeding infants, changing diapers, and safe sleep. But please jump in and ask, “What can I do to help?” The teacher is busy with the children and will appreciate your willingness to lend a hand.
Cleaning procedures are consistent throughout every classroom.
Tables, chairs, toys, walls, doorknobs, well, just about EVERYTHING must be cleaned and sanitized often and well. Every classroom has a spray bottle with sanitizer. Grab some paper towels and clean those things regularly throughout the day. Sweep the floor when it needs it. Ask your lead teacher for more direction if you aren’t sure.
At the end of the day, every single toy that has been played with must be cleaned with warm soapy water and sprayed with sanitizer, then allowed to air dry. This helps keep both kids and adults healthy!
Ask your lead teacher where the sub book is kept. This will help you learn children’s names, their family, their routines, any allergies they may have, and how meals and nap time are best conducted for them.
Look around the room for the classroom schedule. It will help you see the plan for the day, so you can more easily jump right in and lend a hand.
Once again, if you are not sure what to do, ASK!! Your lead teacher will be grateful that you don’t just stand and wait to be told.
Children enjoy being read to. They enjoy singing and dancing, even if you don’t feel particularly talented! These are all things you can join in, even on your first day. Remember, getting to know your children is simple if you:
If you do those things, you will find your job is extremely rewarding because YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO A CHILD!!!
“There is no greater joy, nor greater reward, than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life.” - Mary Rose McGeady
Thanks for joining our Basic Beginnings Family!
We hope this information makes your first day a little less stressful and a lot more fun!
We are all here to help you learn the ropes, so don’t ever hesitate to ask.
(BTW, what IS your third favorite dinosaur? You had better have an answer ready!)
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