In early education and care settings, effective feedback is a fundamental ingredient in creating a positive and productive working environment. It’s a two-way street that doesn’t just occur between educators and parents or guardians, but also among educators themselves and between managers and their staff. This article will explore the process of giving and receiving … Read more
Accountability in early childhood education is an area that often invokes a range of emotions, from trepidation to confusion. It is an integral component of quality assurance processes, yet it remains surrounded by several misconceptions. This post aims to shed light on these misunderstandings and provide practical strategies to debunk them, encouraging a more accurate … Read more
It is inevitable that from time to time you will face a clash of perspectives with your colleagues. Is this a good or bad things? Well ultimately it depends on how you handle the situation and if diplomacy not ego takes control of what awaits. Parker Palmer once wrote that ‘we teach who we are’, and … Read more
It is important to make a good first impression. A familiar saying and piece of advice that is gifted to us us when we head off to meet someone for the first time. There are some of us who believe in first impressions and then there are some of us who do not, more likely … Read more
Okay first things first, I am a voyeur when it comes to Facebook. I read more than I contribute, I squeal with joy, I shudder in despair, I am astonished, I am amazed, and sometimes I forget to breathe in despair with some things that I read online. Welcome to the world of Facebook. A place … Read more
I am always a bit unsure what to think whenever I hear early childhood educators discussing the topic of professionalism and whether they are, or are not professionals. Since I first started teaching over two decades ago I always just assumed I was a professional. Who says I’m not? Why do educators even question this? … Read more
When thinking about what role you might want to play in your setting, whether it be as the Director, co-educator, teacher or educational leader, you have the opportunity to dramatically influence the environment and the people around you if you choose to. “I would like to put forward the revolutionary idea that all teachers can … Read more
Recently I was facilitating a professional development program and posed the following question to the participants ‘Do you define your workplace as a thinking organisation’. This question was met with silence. As such I presented a follow up question, ‘Imagine this, if we were to see employees as a knowledge library, how many books are … Read more
We’ve all been told that gossip and rumour is an evil scourge of the workplace and must be stopped at all costs. There are numerous articles offering advice on how to kill the poisonous grapevine. We follow this advice and then wonder why it doesn’t work and the grapevine continues to flourish. The reason is … Read more