Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-visionary-director-going-for-bigger-dreams/5012468/
In recent years I've begun to ask directors to describe the vision that is guiding their work. The limited response most have offered leaves me so discouraged. Some talk of a new playground, more scholarship dollars, or an active substitute teacher list. In my mind these responses are goals or items on a wish list, possibly indicators of a dream not yet fully articulated.Many directors point to NAEYC Accreditation, Head Start Performance Standards, the Creative Curriculum, or their High/Scope program as their vision. To be sure, I have great respect for these guideposts and have used such things for many years in my own work. But as I begin to look around at the actual classrooms following these standards, and when I assess the focus of curriculum and interactions between the staff, children, and families, my heart sinks. Somehow the idea of a vision for a program has been reduced to a set of goals, standards, and regulations; lots of paperwork, checklists, and little boxes to be filled out.
Where Are the Dreams?
When asked to assess a program, what I first look for is the heart and vitality of the center. Who are the people who spend their days here ...