My Supports

        I have always been very independent and I usually prefer to do things myself.  However, I certainly could not run a preschool classroom from 7:00am to 5:00pm five days per week all on my own.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful teaching team and a great support system.
        Within the program I work for, I have a lot of support.  My teaching team is my first line of support.  Together the four of us are the heart of our preschool classroom.  As the Head Teacher, I have many responsibilities.  My teaching team supports me in making sure I can complete those responsibilities.  I think the moments when our support for each other is demonstrated the most is when we are handling challenging behaviors in our classroom.  We communicate with each other and make sure that which ever one of us is working directly with the child that is exhibiting challenging behaviors feels supported and knows that any one of us will step in if needed.  the rest of the team keeps our day on schedule working with the other children, but remaining in contact with each other.
        My co-workers in other classrooms are also a great support.  We work together as a unit and help cover in each other's classrooms.  We share ideas and materials between our classrooms to enhance our developmentally appropriate curriculum.
        My site supervisor and my education manager are both a huge part of my support team.  They both help me with questions or concerns I may have regarding my classroom.  They are a great resource of information and contacts.  One thing they both do that is so important to me is that they allow me to vent to them or use them like a sounding board to talk things out.
        I have a family liaison and a Head Start collaborative family liaison who are a source of support especially in working with families.  Both liaisons help with providing resources and community events for me to share with my families.  They also work with me in making sure the families and children are getting nutritional services, dental and vision screenings, and any supports they may need such as housing and energy assistance.
        On the outer edge of my support system I include the other head teachers in the program, the disabilities manager, the assistant director, and the director.  Once a month, all of the head teachers in the program meet and we are a source of support for each other.  The disabilities manager is a source of support when we have a child in need of extra services.  And, our assistant director and director always have an open door if we feel we need additional support.
        I am very lucky to have such a strong support system just within the program that I work for.  However, I also feel my support system extends beyond just our program.  I consider my professors and classmates a part of my support system.  Especially through the discussion boards!  And, finally, my family and friends are a huge part of my personal support system.  I rely on their love and support to keep me focused and grounded.  I am still very independent and there are some things I prefer to do on my own, but I have learned over the years that having a good support system is so important.

My Connections to Play

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play."

Henri Matisse

French painter

1869–1954

I have reached that stage in my life in which I use phrases such as, "When I was young..." and "I remember when...", but my childhood memories of play are some of the best!  My childhood and youth was spanned the 1970's and 1980's.  My play involved a lot of time outdoors.  Playing in the woods, climbing rocks, building forts out of blankets and cardboard boxes, running through sprinklers, splashing in blow-up pools, riding bikes, jumping rope, hopscotch, swinging, sledding, neighborhood snowball fights, digging in the dirt, making mud pies, and playing neighborhood games of hide and seek and kickball.  If it was a nice day, my mom sent me outside.  

Digging in the sand and making mud pies.

Swinging was a favorite part of play.

I always tried to get as  high as my legs could pump.

Summertime meant running through sprinklers, blow-up pools, or days at the lake.

I played in the woods all of the time.

Barbie dolls could always be brought outside on nice days.

Indoor play for me involved playing with Barbie dolls, cars and trucks, crafts, reading, Legos, board games, pretend play, and dress-up.  We did have a television, but back then there were only 13 channels and children's programming aired mostly on Saturday mornings.  I was raised an only child, so my mom would play with me quite often.  My dad was a Naval officer and spent most of my childhood out at sea.  Growing up in Navy housing meant there were always children to play with in our neighborhood though!

I played with dolls and cars.

My mom always let me have real dishes in my pretend play.

This day I was a veterinarian!

Reading was always a quiet play choice.

Crafts were a great rainy day activity.

Latch hooking.

The world has changed significantly since my childhood.  Neighborhoods aren't the safe havens they used to be and playing in the woods without adult supervision is a scary thought for many parents today.  Most homes have a television and a DVD player in every room of the house.  Video game systems, iPods, and cell phones are a must have for most children too.  Children are not encouraged to go outside mostly because our world is not as safe as it was years ago.  However, I hope that parents and families can make time for outdoor play and exploration and that they can "unplug" and allow for play indoors that does not involve electronics.

"It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self."

D.W. Winnicott

British pediatrician

1896–1971

Play is so important!  And, play is not just for children!  Adults need play in their daily lives as well.  Everyone needs "unplugged" time to explore, learn, discover, relax, and enjoy life!