ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

"We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all of the motives which produced them." - La Rochefoucauld in Maxims

Who Made Me Boss?

In the July 2003 issue of Exchange, Gigi Taylor Schweikert offers eight tips for supervisors after making these preparatory comments...

"You know those early childhood teachers who are absolutely amazing? The ones who can manage 20 children inside on a rainy day all by themselves, make dough out of air, construct an entire addition to their center using only toilet paper rolls and duct tape, create a complete curriculum of science, math, social studies, and more based on one pumpkin seed? And of course, those amazing teachers can figure out 'coverage' even if six teachers are sick, two can't lift anything over ten pounds, and one teacher is leaving early. Those amazing teachers are the ones I call 'the master teachers.'

"You know what happens to most master teachers? They are asked to be supervisors so they can teach other staff members how to do all the great things they do. Unfortunately, most master teachers do what they do naturally, and working well with children doesn't always translate into working well with adults.

"Whether you're a director, program coordinator, or lead teacher, supervising other adults is probably the hardest part of your job. You're good! That's how you got where you are, but doing everything by yourself and complaining about it won't make you a good supervisor. "

Gigi's article can be viewed in its entirety on the home page of www.ChildCareExchange.com and is available as one of 20 articles in the Exchange Articles on CD collecton "Staff Supervision" which, along with all collections, is on sale at a 20% discount for two more days at http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/0383

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