Training Under Your Nose

02/02/2009

We can help our kids realize that butterflies are better than batteries.
Mark Hovater

In her Exchange article, "Staff Development Resources Right Under Your Nose," Margie Carter talks about how she enjoys when people ask permission to use a story or a photo of hers for staff training...

"My smile comes from knowing that there are hundreds of these stories right under the nose of every director. Well, right under the nose of every director who ventures out into the daily life of your program. Surprisingly, though, directors tend to look in their file drawers, on their bookshelves, or the web for staff development resources. You might want to try a different approach, with a note pad and camera in hand.

"Gathering stories of children has several benefits. The process gives you a closer look at what the children in your program are actually doing. You get a taste of what you are asking teachers to do. (An itty-bitty taste because you aren’t trying to simultaneously manage all the responsibilities of classroom work.) Your notes and photos can be used to provoke dialog, new insights, and planning ideas. And, your stress level slips a few notches as you get back in touch with what you love about your job.

"The most typical reasons directors take pen and paper to classrooms is for some kind of assessment. Perhaps there’s a child of concern, a teacher needs a performance evaluation, or you are using a rating scale to improve quality in your program. What I’m proposing is something of a different stripe. Rather than looking for a problem, I suggest seeking out examples of children’s activities that you want to illuminate for some reason. Perhaps you want your staff to see more details of children’s competencies. You may spot children engaged in something intriguing that might spark further inquiry and get teachers looking more closely. Maybe you are aware of families who could benefit from a story about their children. Any of these possibilities and more can serve as worthy reasons for you to take 20 minutes to hang out with a group of children."

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