Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/power-lines-the-use-and-abuse-of-power-in-child-care-programming/5011223/
The last teacher walked into the room, rushed and five minutes late. All eyes turned to her as the director stopped the meeting and spoke: "I was just about to tell the group that merit pay for the year will be determined by behavior at this meeting!" People laughed tentatively. The director's humor sent a ripple of reactions throughout the group. The incident was quick and unrecorded in the minutes of the meeting, but the effects lingered for a long time afterwards.The use and abuse of power impact every aspect of early childhood education programming. Part of the functional and necessary role of a competent director involves influencing the attitudes and controlling the behavior of subordinates on a continuing basis. In every program, a director assumes responsibility for making and enforcing decisions that may not be unilaterally understood or accepted. In every child care setting, one of the supervisory vehicles used to carry out such responsibility is power.
Yet the notion of power in child care programs is a curious phenomenon. Without its use in some form, programs would revert to a frightening state of disarray - even grind to a halt. With discussion of its presence or ...