Entry #30, 1 December 2009

December is here, and the setting has brought out all the Christmas decorations and music. Most of the children were interested in the Christmas tree which was set up in the ICT room. It had empty boxes which were gift-wrapped, which were particularly of interest to S'r.

B'a has begun using her injured hand. She still refuses to get it wet though. Previously, when it was time for the children to wash her hands, I have repeatedly tried to convince her to wash her injured hand as well, at which she refused outright.

Today however, after her initial refusal, I asked her if her hand would be dirty if she didn't wash it. She replied yes, and I asked if she would like her hand to be dirty, to which she replied no. I asked if she would like to wash it just a little then. She replied "Yea, wash it just a little", and slowly moved her injured hand toward the running water. Before her hand got wet however, she withdrew her hand, and said "No!" in a distressed manner. I told her it was OK, and that we'd wash her injured hand another time, maybe tomorrow then, and she calmed down.

I was asked to try to get S'r to sleep again today. It was mostly a repeat of the previous day, a wrestling match of nearly half an hour. Towards the end of the half an hour though, I tried humming to S'r. I don't know if he had finally tired out, or it was the effect of the humming, but he calmed down and lay still in my arms. He finally fell asleep, and I placed him on the mattress.

I felt a sense of achievement that I managed to get S'r to sleep, then I thought the other staff members probably do it every single day, so it was probably actually not a big deal. However, when I told S'r's room leader that he was asleep, her face lit up, she gestured triumphantly with her hand and went "YES!", which revived my little sense of achievement.

Moving Forward

When B'a told me she would wash her injured hand, I felt that she was gaining more trust in me. Hopefully she'll be back to treating her hand as normal, although unfortunately I probably won't be around for the remainder of her recovery process.

I was excited that S'r had gone to sleep during my humming. It left me eager for another go at putting him to sleep, so that I could try humming again. The other staff members would surely be elated if the humming technique proved effective in calming S'r.

Entry #29, 30 November 2009

While I was in the kitchen preparing drink bottles, L'e ran to me, grabbed my leg and shouted with a big smile, "Mark!". He then started saying what sounded like "Marky Marky!", perhaps in response to the way he is usually called L'y D'y.

The children seemed unusually unsettled today. In particular, B'a cried a lot, and even requested that I carry her. When K'm saw this, he too ran to me crying and requested to be carried as well. Even F'n was a bit cranky today, and he's normally perfectly cheerful.

The cold weather didn't help. Despite freezing temperatures, the children were still sent for outdoor play, and some even said things like "Cold! Go in! Go in!".

I was asked to try and get S'r to sleep today. Normally when a child is being put to sleep, they are placed on the bed and "patted off". They're not permitted to get up off the bed; if they do so, we either verbally request that they lie down (which they usually comply with), or we lie them down ourselves. This method wouldn't work with S'r.

S'r's normally very calm, in fact he's outright cheerful. However when he doesn't get his way, he throws a tantrum, screaming and kicking about, and he's rather big and strong. It seems S'r didn't feel like sleeping yet, so far half an hour, it felt like I was wrestling with him. At one point he even crawled under a table, and latched on VERY firmly with his hands and legs. After an exhausting half an hour, I was told to just leave him be, as he clearly wasn't going to bed.

Moving Forward

The children's daily routine normally follows a schedule, so that their can be some consistency and also so they can get used to things, but surely there should be some measure of flexibility. It would be rather subjective though.

It's clear cut when many children are saying they're cold and want to go in. But what if it's only one child? Or if a child says he doesn't want to do whatever it is everyone else is doing, i.e. sit at the table, eat, listen to a story?

S'r's behaviour is probably enforced by the fact that he's normally allowed to do as he pleases, as long as he stays in the same room as the other children, and he's not thrashing the place. Therefore he's not used to not getting his way, and reacts accordingly. He also seems to have his own schedule apart from the other children, which depends upon his mood. It's at times like that, it is apparent why some children require 1 to 1 attention.

Entry #28, 27 November 2009

When K'n was dropped off, as soon as the front door was opened, his dad just pushed him in, shoved his bag at the staff member, went "Bye!" and ran off.

S'r lined up some numbers perfectly in sequence from 1-10. I'd always heard about him doing it, but this was the first time I'd seen him do it. In comparison, the other children are unable to recognise the numbers from 1-10, much less line them up in sequence.

There were some geometric shapes which connect together, so I put them out for S'r to see if he'd be interested in them. He didn't construct anything of his own, so I made him some shapes to see if he would be interested. He took interest in a cube, carrying it around, and repeatedly asking me to open and close it. At times he would wander around the room for an get an object to place within the cube.

It rained heavily today, but the children were still sent outdoors to play. Almost every single one of them got wet, and required a change of clothes.

Moving Forward

Staff members usually comment that during a drop off, parents should just leave their kids and go, rather than lingering around which causes the child distress. What happened with K'n seemed rather inappropriate though.

Kids should be allowed to experience as much as possible, and thus a little rainy weather shouldn't keep them from going outside to play. In fact, ideally I feel they should even be allowed to run in puddles and mud (properly dressed of course). However, maybe outdoor play could be skipped once in a while, if all the children are going to end up getting soaked.

Entry #27, 26 November 2009

Olivia and Chloe from the 1-2s room were with us today. They seemed extremely unsettled today.

Olivia had moments of calm, but was frequently in tears, calling out for not Mum or Dad, but for Marge, the staff member from upstairs. Chloe started the morning alright, but may have been unsettled by Olivia's distressed. As the day went on, she cried a lot as well, calling out for both Marge and Daddy.

I was advised against picking them up to soothe them, as they were meant to get used to the new environment on their own, thus building their self-confidence and independence.

Luke proved incredibly proficient in making guns out of Lego bricks. He stacked them up together with ease, and ran around the room, pointing his creation at everything and going "DSH! DSH! DSH!". I thought this was standard behaviour for a boy, but a staff member said that guns were not allowed, and kept telling him to disassemble it, sometimes doing it herself. It only took Luke mere seconds to reassemble another gun though.

Moving Forward

The standard policy is for transitioning children to be accompanied by a member of staff that they are familiar with. However, this may not have been possible today due to staff illness. Previously, members of staff they were familiar with did indeed accompany them into the room, and they were far less unsettled.

I remember in my previous work setting as well, that the children were not allowed to have pretend guns. How odd, I'm sure everyone I know, male or female, grew up playing with pretend swords and guns. As far as I know, none of them have turned out to be vicious psychopaths so far.

Entry #26, 25 November 2009

I was off ill today. Unlike in Malaysia, if your ill for just a few days, you don't actually need a Medical Certificate.

When I went into work the next day, there was another member of staff who clearly wasn't feeling well either. When asked why she was in, she said she'd feel guilty if she just didn't turn up. The assistant manager sent her home anyway.

Moving Forward

While I initially felt a pang of guilt because of the other staff's dedication, in retrospect I feel that calling in sick is better than turning up sick. When you call in sick, management is given advance warning to plan the day around a shortfall of staff. If you turn up sick, that advance warning is taken away, and what's worse, you're very likely to perform your duties ineffectively, as well as passing your illness on to others.

Nurseries are a breeding ground for germs, and it's not uncommon for a simple flu to just continually be passed round and round.

Entry #25, 24 November 2009

A Good Behaviour Board was introduced yesterday, with the awards of tidiness, good behaviour and helpfulness. Some of the children may actually be behaving well to earn the awards. B'a and F'n seemed keen on being tidy, while L'e even helped a staff member dispose of things in the bin. I think F'n was already trying to be more of a tidy person even before the board was introduced though.

S'r seemed to be singing today. He hummed a bit, made smacking noises with his mouth, and then repeated the whole tune again and again. He also knew that there was cake on a high shelf, and he pulled on my hand, moving it towards the cake. When I refused to get it for him, he tried to climb up himself. He also spelled "DUMP" with some wooden alphabets, I wonder if that had any significance.

Two workmen were doing some structural work. The children were very interested in what they were doing and the noise they were making. Unfortunately, the workmen didn't seem to take extra precautions with where they were. Their tools and equipment were just left lying all over the building.

I found 2 large screws on the ground where they'd finished their work, and a child even got his hands on a hammer before I grabbed it off him. There were also power drills around, but I suppose they weren't plugged in, and wouldn't be accessed by the children unless they wandered very far.

Moving Forward

The Good Behaviour Board seems to be doing the job of enforcing good behaviour. I wonder if the children are too young to properly grasp the concept. Normally I see that kind of thing in the 3-4s, as opposed to the 2-3s room I'm in.

I wonder if the workmen were given any special instructions to be more careful in the nursery? Last week there was a professional photographer, who seemed to behave rather oddly. He used harsh language openly in front of the children, and the younger children were even distressed by him!

Entry #24, 23 November 2009

I'c and F'r greeted me in the morning, and another staff member told me C'n came to check out my voice when I was passing by.

Despite L'e's overly energetic and often challenging nature, he's actually pretty clever. He build a tower of blocks, saying "I did it!", and also seems to be the most skillful so far in threading shapes. While the others seem to fumble about in their attempts, L'e demonstrates a good degree of fine motor skills.

I greeted L'e's father at the door, and he seemed to be in a talkative mood. Most of the parents usually just pay attention to the room leader, but he talked to me instead. He told me how L'e was doing that day, commented on his face painting last Friday, and told me he'd also forgotten L'e's nappies. Maybe he was just too embarrassed to tell the room leader he'd forgotten the nappies.

At the end of the day, I'c's mother asked how my training was coming along. That's the first time I've felt a parent has actually expressed geniune interest in me, as opposed to just focusing on their own child.

K'm was rather unsettled again this morning. A staff member pointed out that he's fine when I'm not around, but when he sees me he acts up to get attention. This was further demonstrated when I left the room. He began to act like his normal cheerful self, but when I came back he started to act up again.

Moving Forward

My relationships with the parents and children continues to improve. What a pity I only have 2 more weeks to go!

While staff members may often feel that parents just focus on their children and don't enquire much about them personally, I guess the same applies vice versa. The end of the day is also pretty hectic, as both staff members and children start to leave. That just makes it all the more meaningful when someone actually takes the effort to show an interest. However, as much as I'd like to ask parents how the financial markets are doing, I don't think they'd really like to discuss it with me.

I've already started trying to pamper K'm less. That could actually be contributing to him seeking more attention, but he'll have to get used to it. He acts the same way in the mornings, getting upset when his parents drop him off, although as soon as they're gone he plays all over with a huge smile on his face.

Entry #23, 20 November 2009

Today everybody dressed in Pyjamas, in support of Children In Need. The children got their faces painted to the likeness of Pudsey Bear. The pale tinge of yellow combined with the paint running/smudging caused some of them to look like extras from Michael Jackson's Thriller.

B'a's finger bandage has been removed, revealing a dark red cut on her finger. She refuses to use her finger though, still treating her hand with care. This causes concerns for things like going down stairs, where she will get into an awkward position to use her other hand to hold onto the railing. She also got very upset when she was required to wash the hand with her injured finger.

J'a was a bit cranky today, often getting upset. Normally he can communicate what's upsetting him, for instance he wants a car or toy, but today at times he'd just cry. He also spent a lot of time hoarding all the cars, to the point that when his hands were full, he held one in his mouth! He carried his treasure hoard around the room with him. When C'l told him to come do an activity, he brought them all with him and placed them on a chair beside him.

K'n had some fun at J'a's expense. He seemed to realise that J'a was hoarding cars, and also that I would not allow J'a to take a car that someone else already had. K'n took a car already in his possession, and placed it in front of J'a. When J'a tried to take it, K'n would yell "Mine!" and yank it away, or get into a pulling fight with J'a while calling out "Mark, mine, Mark, mine". Needless to say, both scenarios caused J'a to cry.

K'n got away with it the first time. The second time I told him that he was upsetting J'a on purpose, and I would let J'a keep the car the next time. He didn't repeat it after that.

K'm was very unsettled today, crying a lot. There's a high chance he was unwell, especially because at times he would open his mouth, point his finger in and say "Sore".

Moving Forward

B'a's finger may still be causing her pain, or at least fear of pain. She should gradually begin to start using her injured hand again though, especially with the encouragement being given by the staff.

J'a's hoarding behaviour may have been reinforced due to the "He had it first, let him keep it" principle. As such, he reasons that if he has everything first, all the time, noone can ever take anything from him. Other children are learning to share.

For example, A'n wanted a car, and F'n had 2. I told F'n that A'n would like a car, would he be willing to give one to him? (I didn't do it as a "false question" where he didn't have a choice.) F'n looked at his 2 cars and thought for a moment, and went "The orange one" and passed it to me. I told him to pass it to A'n instead, which he did.

Hopefully J'a's temperament will improve with time, but reinforcing good behaviour will have to be done both at nursery as well as at home.

Entry #22, 19 November 2009

There were 2 "incidents" (otherwise known as accidents) today!

When I arrived at the nursery, several of the children were playing with child scissors while the staff were on the other side of the room. The scissors were taken off them, but apparently L'e had cut his finger, and thus his finger was treated and wrapped up.

L'e seemed more upset by the bandage than his injury. He showed me his finger, and kept going "Off! Off!", but I told him not to pull it off. He did lose his bandage a few times though, at which he'd come and report it had fallen off (whether he pulled it off I don't know). He did not act as though it was causing him pain or discomfort (i.e. treating it with care or protecting it)

Later on, while I was trying to reprimand a child at eye level, C'e slipped on the carpet behind me and banged her face against the table. She started to cry, and I calmed her down, but there was a red mark where she'd hurt herself.

I had to sign my name as a witness on Incident Forms for both children.

Moving Forward

I didn't like the idea of signing my name on those Incident Forms. I felt as though I was indirectly (or even blatantly) being blamed!

Those children were already happily playing with those scissors for who knows how long by the time I got there, and the scissors were removed when I got there. I didn't even see L'e hurt himself, he seemed alright, I left the room for about 20 minutes and when I returned he was being bandaged.

As for C'e, the other staff member was doing nappies, and therefore I was expected to keep 6 toddlers sat at the table, obediently doing nothing for about half an hour.

I can understand that it's not great for the Nursery to tell a parent "Your child was hurt while noone was looking", but does that mean they'd rather grab the nearest scapegoat?

Entry #21, 18 November 2009

S'r stacked some triangles according to the colours of the rainbow again. Interestingly, he substituted the blue one for an extra purple one.

He also lined open books up on the table. When he found that there was not enough room to line them all up, he then closed them, and lined them up that way.

A photographer was here to take the children's pictures. While waiting her turn, I'c's mother would frequently pop by the room, and wave to I'c. While this may have seemed endearing to her, this only repeatedly upset I'c, as he still had to remain in the room.

Moving Forward

Sometimes a child will be upset during the drop off. Presumably, the parent will feel guilty at leaving the child in a distressed state, and will sometimes even come back to say goodbye to the child again. What this actually does is to upset the child all over again, even though many children quickly calm down once their parent/carer is gone. I guess it's more for the parents to feel at ease with themselves, rather than for the sake of the child.

Entry #20, 17 November 2009

There was a "Supper Night" at the nursery today. Apparently a lot of parents had concerns about the food being provided to the children, and so, to give them a taste of it, they have a Supper Night.

The cook prepares some of the food which the children usually eat, I believe there was a choice of 3 main courses, along with dessert. It's not meant to be a full 3 course meal though, something which I don't think the parents get. Nonetheless, the Supper Night was first held last year, and I was told it was a great success. Judging by the numbers this year, there was again a lot of interest.

I imagined that the parents would already be friends with each other, if not at least acquainted. When they turned up, however, they seemed to keep to themselves and their own children, and even seemed a bit edgy. I suppose many had just come straight from a hard day at work.

Moving Forward

Prior to the arrival of the parents, things were a bit chaotic, as most staff didn't even know what was going on, much less what they had to do. Needless to say, a bit more direction would have been useful.

The parents should also have been encouraged to mix amongst themselves, and get to know their children's friends. Although some knew the names of the other children, they were unable to match names to faces.

Entry #19, 16 November 2009

I tried to be more strict with L'e today, giving him warnings and explaining unacceptable behaviour, and finally putting him in time out. Normally when the other staff do it, he'll cry loudly as soon as he's sat down. When I did it however, his mood didn't seem to change at all.

He remained happy and playful, often times not even bothering to stay in the spot I put him in. I did use a loud and harsh tone of voice, but he just didn't seem to be bothered. Maybe I didn't yell enough, or wasn't rough enough, or maybe he just feels too close to me. He likes to sit in my lap, as well as be picked up by me, as I usually carry and swing him around in a playful manner.

I saw S'r today with the triangles he had previously arranged according to the colours of the rainbow. Again I felt it was just a coincidence, as he didn't seem to be arranging the triangles in any pattern. Rather, he was digging through them and stacking them in coloured pairs, i.e. 2 red ones, 2 blue ones, etc.

Once he had all the coloured pairs he needed however, he promptly arranged them according to the colours of the rainbow. I recognised the colours this time because there were some cartoon rainbows on the window.

Outdoors, S'r enjoys a game, where he holds an adult's hand and steps from number to number, from 1 to 5. This time however, he stepped from 1, stepped onto 2, and seemed frustrated. He made an annoyed sound, moved back to 1, then back to 2, and repeated the cycle once again.

The next time, he threw himself on the ground, kicking his legs and made more annoyed sounds, as though he was frustrated. He then repeated the whole sequence another time, starting from 1 and ending on the ground.

He also seemed to make eye contact with me on a few occasions, although only for a very short time. Previously, however, his eyes would just float past me as though I wasn't even there.

Moving Forward

I can't shake the feeling that I get more results from L'e by trying to reason with him rather than yell and punish him. He's also a very energetic child, so I really don't blame him if he can't sit still for long periods of time. His energetic movements also translates into him being a bit more rough than other children, which tends to upset them sometimes and land him in trouble although he was just playing on his own.

Apparently a lot of S'r's behaviour is according to schemata, which are patterns of repeatable behaviour. I wonder if the way he acted on the numbers is some sort of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, whereby he felt that "something" was wrong about the process, only he couldn't figure out what, and therefore had to keep repeating it till he felt it was right?

Entry #18, 13 November 2009

The children seemed very enthusiastic in greeting me this morning! J'a saw me through a window, waved and ran to the door to wave some more at me. F'n went “Hello Mark!” 3 times in just a few minutes.

M'n, from the 1-2s room, was in the 2-3s room today. She enthusiastically explored every area of the room. When she was in the Maths area, she reached her hand out for each of the 5 boxes which were stacked there, and gestured for me to open them one by one.

Unfortunately her curiosity also brought her to the creative area, where she managed to open a container of glitter all over the floor, which sent a staff member ballistic. Other than that, M'n was better-behaved than the 2-3s, in my opinion.

G'e was in the room again. And he choked on some pita bread! I saw him with his mouth stuffed till it was overloaded, and thought I’d better watch him, and luckily I did.

He brought his hands to his mouth, and started to convulse (it looked like he was trying to cough but couldn’t, instead only shuddering). I ran to him and gave him a few firm blows on the back, while telling him to “Spit it out! Spit it out!” which he managed to.

First came a big glob of unchewed pita bread, then he coughed up some gooey liquid, and another glob of unchewed pita bread. He seemed to be OK after that. I asked him if he was alright, and he responded “Yes”, so I told him to take a drink of water, and eat his food slowly next time.

Moving Forward
I love it when the children greet me, or take interest in what I’m doing (like asking where’s Mark gone, or what are you doing Mark?). It makes me feel like we’re actually building a proper relationship, rather than having it in their minds that I’m just some big adult bossing them around.

While some of them have a preference for sitting on my lap or hanging around me, I’ve yet to see any of them reject another adult and say “No, I want Mark” though.

I find it strange that the younger children seem better behaved. Perhaps they haven’t adjusted to their new environment, and they feel insecure. It’s a good thing that they’re accompanied by staff that they’re familiar with.

That’s the second time I’ve been around when a child was choking (I’m not counting the time a child was choking because he was trying to put a whole spoon in his mouth). It’s a frightening experience, and it seems to happen far too often for more liking.

Entry #17, 12 November 2009

Three of the children from the 1-2 age group spent the day in the 2-3s room today, to ease them into transitioning between rooms. They were O'a, G'e and C'e. I was already familiar with all 3 of them, and they were familiar with me as well.

O'a and G'e already knew my name, as they usually call out to me if they see me walking by. C'e remembered a little game I had taught her, which was to go 'Oh oh oh!' in an increasing pitch, sort of like a singing exercise.

Initially, G'e seemed to adjust well to the room. He spoke very clearly in short sentences, like saying "Help", or "Me hat", or "More". He also responded well to instructions, such as "Please sit in the book area" or "Please pick up the counters you've dropped on the floor".

During outdoor play, he even spent most of his time playing with F'n. They shared a ball, with F'n kicking it and G'e throwing it.

However, I feel G'e got a bit confused and frustrated by the rules of the 2-3s room. When he went to the sand/water area, he was told that only one person was allowed, and that person wasn’t him at the time. He also spent a lot of time trying to get some cars off other children who were hoarding them, and so he was ushered away again.

Later on G'e began putting his feet on other children, or on their chairs, which greatly upset them.

In the ICT room, the children were told that whoever sat the nicest would be rewarded by feeding the fish. B'a sat very nicely, and so fed the fish. As soon as the reward was over, she began to be exhibit challenging behaviour.

Moving Forward

I suppose it takes time for the children to get used to transitioning from one room to another. At least the 3 of them seemed relatively at ease. When I was in another nursery setting, I was responsible for accompanying a child from the 1-2s room to the 2-3s room. She was greatly upset, crying whenever I left her, and hardly even touching her food.

I wonder if G'e began to disturb the other children with his feet as a sign of protest or frustration.

I think B'a’s behaviour was a good example of the downside of using reward systems to manipulate children. Once they figure it out, they themselves will learn to use the system to their advantage.

Entry #16, 11 November 2009

I spent about 2 separate 1 hour sessions looking after S'r (the supposedly autistic child) today.

He seemed unsettled, acting like a child who was very tired. We were in the outdoor play area, and whenever I put him down, he bolted straight for the door back into the nursery. When I picked him up, he cried and struggled, but occasionally suddenly leaned his head against me and kept quiet and still, as though sleeping.

When I was holding him, I tried to make eye contact with him, but failed. I rotated my body while holding him, and his eyes seemed focused on something, because his pupils kept darting to stay in the same position. I turned around and rotated my body again, and once again his eyes seemed transfixed on something.

When we were indoors, S'r's focus seemed to be either climbing things or knocking things over. I was told he was extremely gifted, and thus was looking for a challenge by climbing things. I didn't find that very convincing at all.

Anyway, it appeared to me that he took 7-coloured triangles at random (simply from the top of the container), and stuck them together. Later on, the same staff member who told me how gifted S'r was asked me who'd put the triangles together. She then pointed out how amazing it was, because the colours were arranged exactly according to the colours of the rainbow.

I was also told he's very good with numbers. He excels at arranging numbers in order, and when given a phone/calculator he pressed the numbers in rising sequence.

Moving Forward

Having looked after S'r for only a short amount of time, I can understand why Special Education Needs children need 1-to-1 attention. He has to be watched constantly because he likes to climb things, and knock things over.

Also, his 'Special Education Needs' doesn't mean he learns at a slower pace than others. On the contrary, the child may be a genius! (I don't even know what all the colours of a rainbow are).

Despite his lack of social skills, S'r recognised the man (parent or carer, I do not know) who came to collect him, and immediately ran to him as any other child greeting a parent would. And when he's not distressed by something, I find that he's always very cheerful, laughing, smiling and singing to himself all the time.

Entry #15, 10 November 2009

M't, from the 3-4s room, is always happy to see me. She flashes a big smile, and when I call her name she'll even laughs merrily. Today, she even jumped up and down, which got her in trouble because she was meant to be lining up properly for something.

How odd that a child should be reprimanded for being happy to see me. I recall in my previous setting the preschoolers and I used to play a game, where we'd make rhymes of each other's names. Like I'd say Anna Banana, and she'd go Marky Mark. The room got a new staff member however, who was strict and told the children that's not how we talk to adults...

Moving Forward

I guess it's a bit subjective what's considered acceptable behaviour in kids, and most childcare practitioners don't have the luxury of making their own judgments, but rather have to err on the safe side. Nowadays I try to keep from rhyming kid's names, but I still do it every now and then.

Entry #14, 9 November 2009

Maybe I'm just not used to it, but I really don't like punishing or even threatening punishment on the children. It could be why they don't tend to listen to me when they're being challenging though. Most of the other staff are quick to issue threats followed by punishment, for example "Do I have to count to three?" or "Do you want to be sat on your bottom?"

I felt a silly sense of achievement today though, when L'e actually listened to what I said when I asked him nicely. He was playing under the table during snack time, and I said in a pleasant, non-threatening tone, "L'e, please come out from under the table and sit on your chair."

Maybe he was just bored of being under the table, but I hope it's because he's been bonding with me somewhat. He definitely wasn't listening to any of the other staff member's instructions, to the point that he was frequently put into time out. He's just so full of playful energy that he finds it impossible to sit still, and gets in trouble because when he plays he's rough and (I'm assuming) unintentionally hurts the other kids.

K'm was in a very cheerful mood today. He grabbed every object that had a handle, and used them as  electric guitars. He strummed enthusiastically, even mimicking a rockstar's facial expression and movements by hopping around and singing!

We also had toy coins today. I was examining one in my hand when K'm ran up to me, shouted "Money!", grabbed it from me, said "Thank you!", gave a cheeky smile and pose (like a cowboy shooting a pretend gun and going "Gotcha"), laughed heartily and quickly stuffed it in his pocket.

Moving Forward

I should probably be less reluctant in dishing out punishment to foster some authority over the children. With a room full of kids, it may not be in everybody's best interests for me to slowly speak to them one by one. I'll still try though, as often as the situation permits.

It's good to see K'm adapting more to Nursery. When I first met him, he wouldn't say a word, and would only communicate by tugging at my clothes or tapping his finger on me. He still seems terribly upset when his parents drop him off. He cries inconsolably, but as soon as his parents leave, he's smiling and playing away within minutes.

Entry #13, 6 November 2009

Cis usually very strong-spirited, but he seemed even more so today. As a result, he got into a lot of trouble with a particular member of staff. She told him off, and tried to put him in time out, but he refused to sit still. She seemed exceptionally cross, and communicated this with a loud tone of voice to C'r, but C'r merely continued to smile and laugh.

On the other hand, Conor seemed deeply upset, with a very distressed face and many, many tears, when someone else had put soap on his hands during washing up. He always insists on doing it himself; it's like his ritual where he'll put the soap on while going "Rub-a-dub-dub, two men in a tub!".

I presented the parent consent letter to B'a's mother today, to get her permission for having B'a as my key child. Despite all my worrying, B'a's mother was very agreeable. I think she signed the letter without even reading it!

I told her that once my placement was done, I could make my observations available to her if she wished. She said that it would be interesting to see, and that she had no idea how B'a's development measured up  to other children.

Moving Forward

The idea of punishing a child is to cause intentional distress/unhappiness to deter the child from repeating unwanted behaviour. But different children will have different levels of distress (or like in C'r's case, none at all) to different punishments. I suppose the punishment system isn't perfect, but it gets the job done... It's not like we should crank up the intensity till the child is reduced to tears.

I wonder if that was a competitive streak showing in B'a's mother? Anyway, I don't expect my observations to intentionally highlight B'a's development level against the other children. Nevertheless, she does seem to be rather "ahead of the class", so I'm wondering what sort of activities I could plan to enhance her learning.

Entry #12, 5 November 2009

In Entry #10, I mentioned how C'r's toilet training at home wasn't going as well as it was at nursery. Today, his dad mentioned that they also used a sticker system at home, to no avail. The room leader suggested taking some of the stickers from nursery to see if it made a difference, but his dad didn't seem keen on the idea.

Interestingly, C'r falsely accused me of something today! I was returning from an EYFS training session, and just reentering the room, when the room leader asked me "Did you hear that?". When I replied no, she said "C'r just said you wet his sleeve! Listen". Conor was going "C'r sleeve wet! Mark did it! Mark did it! Conor sleeve wet!". We were nowhere near water, so it must have been some sort of failure of communication.

Speaking of communication failures, there's a child called A'i in the room, and apparently his parents do not communicate much in English. As such, A'i usually just...hovers around the place, not saying a word and showing very little emotion on his face.

I have not seen him participate in any child-initiated activities, and even at meal times he does not eat his food. I spoke with the nursery chef, who said they've been experimenting with different kinds of foods with him, with little successes here and there. Meanwhile, the staff aren't even sure of his ethnic origin.

Despite his lack of verbal communication though, he seems to like staying close to me, even though we have not spent much time together. Today, he connected more with me. Instead of just loitering around me, he climbed onto me a few times, and also tapped my leg while vocalizing and pointing towards other children who were doing something they were not supposed to.

He even spoke out today, although oddly enough, the only thing he said was "LUKE! LUKE!", which was the name of a child who's usually getting into trouble (and hence having his name yelled out).

Moving Forward

I wonder how come C'r does so well with his toilet training at nursery? It could be because we follow a scheduled structure for the day, so C'r knows what to expect. Or maybe it's because I keep asking him  again and again and again if he needs the toilet, so that we don't have to deal with any "accidents".

A'i's situation is another advantage of baby signing: children can communicate better regardless of their native language. I guess the obvious thing to do would be to find out what language he speaks, and print out a short list of  useful words in his language.

Entry #11, 4 November 2009

I got a visit from my University Mentor today. As my Setting Mentor has been fantasic with her guidance so far, I wasn't very worried about the visit. Until I found out she was going to observe me with the children for  over half an hour!

Just earlier that morning, the children had been ignoring my requests. I felt as though they were intentionally getting back at me:

• M'n usually seems attached to me, but she seemed to be sulking at me and ignoring my instructions. I had refused to give her a toy which another child was already playing with.
• 'n, who had been well-behaved the past several days, ignored me when I tried to talk to him, and threw to the floor anything which I held in front of him. I had refused to give him his favourite green train which another child was holding.
  

Luckily, my University Mentor seemed like a really nice person, and rather than looking for fault in me, she actively gave advice and suggestions on my EYPS course. I still felt like a lab rat under a microscope when I watched her from the corner of my eye scribbling things down though.

 

Moving Forward

My next visit from my University Mentor will be on the 3rd of December. Naturally, I hope to be more on top of things then, hopefully even showing off strong, meaningful relationships with the children.

Entry #10, 3 November 2009

Limited time with the kids today, as I was busy having discussions with my mentor and...cleaning. As though getting poo on me wasn't glamorous enough.

C'r has been toilet training, and is usually rewarded with a sticker for his efforts. As is normally the case with using the reward system, it's come to the point that he expects to automatically get stickers, as once he's done his "job", he immediately asks for a sticker.

And when the stickers aren't around, ie at home? His mother mentioned that he's not doing so great at the toilet training at home. Despite there being potties in every single room of the house, C'r had hidden himself under a table to do a poo on the floor.

Moving Forward

I'd always wondered if I should get stickers too. A lot of staff do it, as it's a great way to get kids to do what you want, in the short term at least. I guess the long term benefits aren't really there, but even the short term benefits often seem tempting after a frustrating period of children not listening...

Entry #9, 2 November 2009

I received several kisses on the cheek from 2 children from the 3-4 room! F'e had randomly kissed me on the cheek before, and he did so again this morning. This time, M't was watching, and she decided to join in. It then became their game to take turns running up to me, kissing me on the cheek, running away, letting the other take a turn, and then repeating the whole process.

E'e, also from the 3-4 room and usually very cheerful and friendly, was strangely unsettled after outdoor play. When we got back into the room, she suddenly started to cry. It was the most distressed crying I have ever heard so far, and nobody could figure what was wrong with her. We got her to calm down for short periods by cuddling her, getting her to lie down, and even getting her to play (she played while she was crying!). I had to leave the room before she was settled.

B'a has adapted to being one-handed due to her finger injury. She used her mouth to open things such as pens and (unfortunately) glue sticks. It's only her second day in nursery since her injury, but she seems to accept that she's not to get her injured hand wet or dirty, particularly during water/sand play and washing hands. 

I did a few handovers today. A handover is basically handing the child back to the parent, while telling the parent about the child's day. This is usually accompanied by a "daily sheet", which lists out things such as food consumption, nappies done, time spent sleeping, general mood and additional comments.

While it may seem a tedious bit of information, as well as being plainly written on the sheet of paper, I found that the parents were especially attentive. If I missed out any single detail, such as how much of their lunch they had, or how long they'd slept during the day, parents were sure to question me about it.

Moving Forward

I'd like to ask the member of staff who did E'e's handover if her mother had any idea what was upsetting her. Maybe Ellie had been unwell over the weekend, or had some sort of unsettling experience.

I'll also have to keep in mind to be thorough each time I do a handover, and not assume that parents won't be interested in hearing the same sort of information day after day.

Reflecting On My Reflective Journal

 I showed the first 3 entries of my reflective journal to my EYPS lecturer, and she told me:

"You make some assumptions about the children and the setting (and some negative remarks) - I would try to avoid that in a reflective journal."

I'm not really sure how to go about things now, as:

• Writing what I think would surely involve a lot of assumptions, as I'm hardly correct or know everything 100% of the time.
• Negative remarks are even more unavoidable, for obvious reasons.

Moving Forward

For now, I'm thinking I should write less instead of just rambling on about whatever enters my mind. I guess I"ll also have to be a little less candid, and more "touchy feely".

That's one thing I don't like about the UK. It's like everything has to be nice and sugarcoated. If a child intentionally shot another child, you wouldn't be able to say "That's awful! How can you shoot someone else?".

You'd have to say something like "Awww, why did you do that? He doesn't like it when you shoot him, say sorry and give him a hug."

There I go again with assumptions and negative remarks...

Entry #8, 30 October 2009

Today's activities were focused around Halloween! As such, the 2-3's and 3-4's were joined together to prepare/conduct activities suuch as ice hands, ice bowls, a Halloween party, face painting, costume contest, pizza making, etc. I helped stick the pizzas in the oven, as well as prepare the chocolate-covered apples.

The ideas sound great on paper, but I feel the kids didn't really enjoy it that much. Most of the activities required a lot of adult input, so it felt like the adults were doing most of everything while the children hardly did much. As such, I felt the children were more bored and confused by the activities, especially the "Halloween party" where everyone was just sat around the table. They lightened up when the icecream came out though.

Most of the kids came dressed up. Some were proud to show off their costumes, but some cried when they were asked to put them on.

J;b was in a terrible mood this morning. Upon entering the nursery, he just stood there with his head bowed, crying very loudly. This continued when he was put on a staff's lap, and then sat on the carpet as well. I tried to calm him, but he just kept crying.

Another child came over with a toy, which drew J'b's attention. He stopped crying immediately, and spoke in a cheerful tone, telling me where the toy was meant to go. Was he just pretending? It didn't seem like it. Perhaps J'b enjoys being helpful, as later on in the day he enthusiastically helped me out with the books as well.

B'a was off yesterday, because she trapped her finger in the door and had to be taken to hospital. She was in today, and eager to tell everyone about her finger. No bones were broken, or stitches required, but the cut was deep and her finger was bandaged.

B'a's mother instructed that she shouldn't be allowed to play in sand and water for a week, and generally not get her finger wet or dirty. This was upsetting for B'a, as she greatly enjoyed sand and water play. When I told her she couldn't, she tried to bargain, yelling "Just one hand! Just one hand!".

When I asked her what I/mummy said about her finger though, she would reluctantly answer, not to get it wet or dirty. It took awhile to get the message across, but I feel she got it in the end.

Moving Forward

I thought the Halloween party was a great idea at first, but at the end of the day, I felt the kids would have had more fun if they'd participated more. Of course, with 19 kids and so much to do, it's not that easy as well. Maybe the activities could have been spread over 2 or 3 days, rather than crammed all into one.

I'm glad I found out about J'b's helpful streak. It's always great when children enjoy being helpful, and it's a much better way for him to seek attention then throwing tantrums and faking distress.

Entry #7, 29 October 2009

Today, there were only 3 2-3 year olds, so our room was joined with the 3-4 year olds.

I did a jelly play activity, which was just 2 large jellies with sweets inside them, and allowing the children (one at a time) to experiment with them. That experimenting included tasting, and if they wanted to, eating. It therefore didn't take long for C'r to decide he'd try and eat as much as he could. E'e picked up on this as well, and started to devour the jelly and sweets.

As I was trying to make it a child-led experience rather than dictate what they should do, I allowed them to do as they wished, but stopped them after half the jelly was gone, as I was worried it would make them unwell. How C'r protested!

Oddly, the rest of the children were not very interested in the jelly play. Most outright refused to come sit at the table and have a go. Those who did were quickly bored of it, and chose to move on to other activities. I assume that it's because they've had jelly play many times before (and were probably stopped from eating it then).

I met J'b today, who had very interesting behaviour. He was very good at faking distress!

When the children are in an argument which gets bad enough that one is crying, an adult will normally ask the crier what's wrong, who did it, and get the offender to apologise, and maybe even punish him. All the children are familiar with this practice, with some even running to hide once they've upset another child. J'b has taken it a step further by trying to manipulate the system!

When he was in a disagreement with another child, he immediately threw himself upon the ground, as though he'd been pushed (he hadn't), cried out loudly, and said "Ow! We mustn't push our friends! It's not nice! Why did you do that?". He was trying to frame the other child!

I also saw him stick his hand out intentionally so that another child would touch it, only slightly. He then acted as though his hand had been injured, drawing his hand close to his body, crying out in pain, and crying loudly. I told him I had seen what had happened, and told him he was alright. He carried on the show for a few seconds, before stopping altogether and carrying on as normal.

There were several times J'b would throw himself on the ground, as though he had fallen down, and start to cry loudly. Each time he would carry on the show for a little longer after I told him I'd seem him doing it and that he was OK, and then he would stop crying altogether.

Moving Forward

I wonder how many times it takes for children to get bored of an activity, and therefore make it pointless? They seem to enjoy standard activities like drawing and painting countless times without getting bored, so why would they get bored of jelly play?

I guess you really can't plan when you'd like to move on from an activity and avoid it in future because the children are tired of it. The only real way to tell when they're bored, is when you're actually there and they're clearly bored.

I think J'b was acting as he did because he wanted attention. Later in the day, he received a lot of focused attention from staff (J'b does not take naps, unlike most of the other kids, so when the rest were asleep the staff ratio actually went to 4 staff to 2 children). He was so well-behaved then that the staff were discussing how surprised they were that he supposedly often got in trouble.

Once the room was crowded again, he did start acting up again, but that was only once out of a roughly 2 hour period.

Entry #6, 28 October 2009

My relationship with M'n, the child who had sat on me after pooing, seems to have improved. Perhaps it was a good bonding experience. Throughout the day she stayed close to me and sought my attention. Several times when upset or tired, she would lean against me and press her face towards me. She even displayed a competitive/jealous streak by pushing B'a away so that she could lie on my lap.

M'n has a curious way of talking though, in that she prefers to whisper, making it near impossible to hear most of what she is saying. The other staff member told me that is how she always talks. I wonder how and why M'n talks like that, and if something should be done about it? When she's competing for something with another child though, she is quite capable of excitedly shouting ME! ME! ME!

Although there were only 5 children in today, it was a really tiring day, as they seemed to get upset over the slightest of things! On top of that, A'n was being especially challenging today. He refused to cooperate with absolutely everything, even though at times he showed that he clearly understood what was going on.

For instance, he would climb up on something which he wasn't supposed to, and before anyone could react he would shout "Get down! Get down!". He also kept asking for his apron to be removed when he was at water play, saying he was done. Once the apron was removed, he would want to play with the water, but refuse an apron. After an apron was put on, he would again repeat the cycle. This was done twice while I was there for about 15 minutes.

B'a didn't seem to sit in laps as much today. Perhaps because there were only 2 adults, counting myself, so there was less chances for her to do so. She was also preoccupied with the other staff's preparations for Halloween, as well as another adult's birthday. Although all the children were excited about the birthday, singing songs and laughing, when the birthday girl arrived and it was time for them to sing, they all stared in silence.

Perhaps they were unsettled by B'a, who suddenly seemed distressed (frowning features). Once the adults had finished singing the birthday song, B'a immediately ran to a pillow in a corner, and threw herself on it face down while crying. I tried to comfort her, and she came to me, but I couldn't get her to explain what had upset her.

B'a did 2 things today which surprised me:

1. She was drawing a picture, while saying out names of staff members and looking outside of the room. It then dawned on me that she was drawing the notice board outside with pictures and names of all the staff on it!
2. Later, a member of staff was doing some craft work, and tasked B'a with throwing away the rubbish. The first time B'a was told, she walked to the bin. The second time she was told, she decided it would be easier to move the bin beside the staff member instead of walking back and forth all the time.
   

Moving Forward
Spending so much time with A'n today made me also spend a lot of time thinking about the 2 main methods of getting a child to do as you say, namely punishment (also threats) and reward (also bribery).

Although I wouldn't consider those 2 methods to be the ideal solutions, often it feels as though one member of staff is in charge of keeping order in the entire room. Staff have a multitude of responsibilities, so even though they're in the room, they may be busy preparing food, changing nappies, doing an activity, doing paperwork, etc etc etc.

Taking time to establish communication may very well be the best method for dealing with one child who's showing challenging behaviour, but what about if 4 children are acting up once every 10 minutes for 9 hours in a room filled with 7 other children?

Entry #5, 27 October 2009

Today I got poo on me. M'n approached me with her pants in one hand, and her shoes in the other. I'd asked before who was undergoing toilet training, and M'n wasn't mentioned. I therefore assumed she'd had her nappy done, but the staff member had been too busy to properly dress M'n.

I therefore unwittingly told M'n to sit on my lap so I could dress her. Her shirt was long enough that even after she'd sat down, I didn't realise that anything was amiss. I did however, smell poo, but I merely thought that she'd pooed again after having her nappy changed. The smell was really strong though, and so I got her to stand up to investigate.

I was horrified when I saw that she had neither nappies nor knickers on. The other members of staff were quick to jump into action; one cleaned M'n up while another cleaned up the mess on the carpet. I tended to my soiled pants, feeling embarrassed, guilty and of course, disgusted.

Today, B'a was not very well-behaved. She cried several times in the morning, asking for her rabbit. When questioned, she replied that the rabbit was in the car. Throughout the day she would also exhibit challenging behaviour, for example refusing to lower her feet to stand when picked up, lying on the floor refusing to co-operate, and stamping her feet and crying. This reached the extent that she was put in time out a few times.

 

We also had a fire drill today. The manager tried to make it as authentic as possible by yelling "It's real it's real!" throughout, causing me to wonder if it was appropriate for me to run upstairs to retrieve my handphone.

The children did not seem distressed by the loud fire alarm, carrying about their business as usual. The staff members brought the children outside with a sense of urgency, but the children acted as normal. I assume the children have been through several fire drills, especially because C'r began talking about firemen and fire engines.

Moving Forward

Once the safety gate has been opened and permission has been given, some children are capable of and allowed to walk to the toilet on their own. Perhaps this is not the best of practices, due to safety concerns as well as the potential for "mishaps".

I hope to build better relationships with the children's parents as well, as then I'll know to say things like "Has B'a left her rabbit in the car", or "How's M'n coming along with her toilet training?".

The staff members were unsure of which fire exit to use, and also didn't know where the gathering point was. Some also had not signed their names in the register. I believe fire drills are done twice a year, so perhaps they should be done more often, or at least fire safety policies should be communicated more frequently.

Entry #4, 26 October 2009

Today I decided I'd like to spend my first work placement mainly with the 2-3 year olds. I feel it's at this age group that children's personalities really start to develop, and I also enjoy it more when the children are better able to communicate.

Nevertheless, I managed to meet some of the 3-4 year olds, as the 2 groups spend some time together throughout the day. I met F'e again, who I first met the previous week. She actually walked up to me and introduced herself, and then asked my name!

At one point, F'e was playing with a bag that had a picture on it. She hid the picture from me, repeatedly saying "You can't see it!", but I already knew what was on the picture. I told Frankie "Yes I can, yes I can!", and started to describe the hidden picture . As she checked my description with the actual picture, her eyes nearly popped out as they opened wide in amazement. :)

I also met a 3-4 year old boy named S'r, who I was told had Special Education Needs. Apparently, he was autistic, and was undergoing the appropriate checks and procedures to confirm it. The only thing I can recall about autism is a poor capacity for social skills, and peculiar behaviours, such as lining things up.

I may have been influenced by people telling me S'r had these behaviours, but I felt he did exhibit them. He struck me as strange first of all because I'd never met him before, but he came right up to me, grabbed my hand and proceeded to lead me away from everyone else without saying a word.

He did repeatedly line up the contents of a bowl of plastic fruit, as well as several flashcards, but I wouldn't have deemed it as excessive. Also, he did not interact with any of the other children, beyond protesting when his toys were taken, but he did laugh when an adult was playing with him by picking him up, swinging him around and tickling him.

Back to the 2-3s, there were 8 children in today.

I met a child named K't. He was in a particularly bad mood today, often getting upset and clingy. I therefore witnessed a behaviour I'd seen before, namely manipulation!

Although I don't mind holding onto a child for the whole day, it really makes it difficult for the child to take part in any developmental activities, and also causes me to be sort of a deadweight to the rest of the staff. As such, childcare practitioners will rarely latch on to a child for the whole day (unless they ARE trying to be a deadweight).

Anyway, as children get older, they discover that they can manipulate others to suit their needs. In K'm's case, he seemed well-versed in the manipulation techniques! Despite only meeting me for the first time today, the other adults were too preoccupied with other things, and so he decided to focus on me.

First of all, to get more 1 on 1 time with me, he repeatedly told me he needed to go to the toilet. Secondly, to get me to carry him, he kept requesting to look at things which were high above the ground, as earlier on in the day I'd picked him up to show him those sort of things.

One of the other tactics I've seen children use are taking their own shoes off, because I tend to sit a child on my lap to put on their shoes and socks.

Earlier in the morning, when I first arrived in the room and was talking with 2 other adults, B'a seemed glad to see me. She was smiling, waved to me, and even called out my name. I had to spend most of the day attending to K'm though. Towards the end of the day, she came up to me and requested to be carried.

B'a seemed to be unsettled by something, but I regret to say I didn't know what. I asked her if she was tired, and she said yes, so hopefully that was it. I suggested she lie down on a cushion, to which she agreed. 2 other children decided to lie down as well, and they started to argue. Unfortunately I had to leave the room to attend to other duties, and the other staff were busy as well.

 

Moving Forward

I'm meant to pick a key child whom I'd like to work closely with by the end of the week. I supposed I'd like it to be B'a, as she has a bright personality and already seems to be forming a good relationship with me.

I'm also very curious about S'r's situation. I hope I'm not being insensitive to his needs, but I feel his behaviour to be very intriguing, and how they deal with him should also be something out of the ordinary.

Wouldn't it be much more involving for a childcare practitioner if there was more at stake? There would be a feeling of great reward to see S'r progress, and on the flipside, there's also the potential for great disappointment if his condition didn't improve. I for one would feel a lot more involved in things like this, rather than writing reports on why some economic figure went up or down, why it went up or down, and whether in future it will go...up...or down...

And although the child to staff ratio was within the acceptable standards, there were times I felt the children weren't getting enough attention, such as when B'a was arguing with the other 2 children about lying on the cushions. I guess it's obvious that 1 to 1 attention is best, but that's not really feasible. I wonder how these "acceptable ratios" were decided upon?

Entry #3, 22 October 2009

I was mainly in the 1-2 age group again, and there were some new faces this time.

E'n was clearly Oriental, and I was very curious to know if his parents spoke to him in Mandarin or Cantonese, so that I may attempt to do the same. I spoke to him in a little of both, but he had very limited language skills of his own, so I didn’t really expect him to respond.

He laughed excitedly when I picked him up and lifted him high and swung him about. Throughout the day he sought me out and raised his arms towards me, which I took as his gesture to request that I repeat the “game”. A lovely smile and laugh, but has yet to grasp the concept of personal space as he is oblivious when he is upsetting some of the other children.

Another child, C'e, quickly warmed up to me. She seemed emotional, in that she was easily cheered or upset. As such, she enjoyed almost all of the games I played with her, including blowing in her face, tickling, calling out to her, etc, and seemed to smile whenever she caught me looking at her.

Perhaps as the children grow more familiar with me, or rather I more familiar with them, I will be able to see more signs of communication which I was so blind to on my first day. In particular, on my first day I noticed C'e was beginning to speak very well, yet did not communicate well with me. Today, she clearly knew what she was doing when she asked me for specific things by speaking, vocalising and/or gesturing.

Likewise, A'e, who could hardly speak, often made requests clear to me by not only gesturing with her hand, but by vocalising as well. She would request her favourite bunny, or a book, or for more food.

O'a H also shows good language skills, but I feel she is not that comfortable with me yet, as she was not always that receptive towards me.

Moving Forward
I would really like to meet E'n’s parents, and see if they’re agreeable to me speaking to him in Cantonese/Mandarin. Doing so would not only be beneficial to En’s language development, but would also give him a greater sense of belonging, by having elements of his own culture within the setting.

I hope that in future I’ll be able to communicate better with O'a H as well.

Entry #2, 21 October 2009

Wonderful! Today I met 8 children in the 2-3 age group, and they were more akin to what I was accustomed to. Within this age range, they had more developed personalities, and most noticeably of all, they were better communicators!

None of them exhibited stranger fear towards me, and within minutes K'n was laughing uncontrollably at every game he played with me, and sought me out repeatedly during outdoor play.

B'a was also very receptive to my attempts at communication, and one member of staff said to another “Look at B'a! Since when does she talk to strangers?” B'a did seem shy, and not very self confident in the way that she usually asked for assistance, and in a broken, whiney tone. She seemed to enjoy playing with me, and staying close to me.

When B'a hurt her finger and remained upset for almost an hour, she even chose to sit on my lap rather than seeking out the other staff. She did, however, insist that her finger needed “Mr Bump”, which the staff member denied. I assumed Mr Bump was a plaster, but later discovered it was a little icepack.

I'c also played and laughed with me, together with K'n, when I initially entered the room. I later noticed he exhibited a lot of challenging behaviour, such as provoking other children and ignoring communication from adults. I tried to gain some of his trust by paying attention to his needs, lowering myself to the ground level so that we could make eye contact easier, and being patient with him.

I feel I'c was unjustly upset, as at one point he was clearly trying to comply with an adult’s instruction to come and have his nappy done, but he got confused when she asked him to put the breadstick he was eating back on the table. Instead, he lingered in the area not sure what to do, and the adult gestured at his seat, to which he gingerly sat down. The staff member interpreted this as disobedience, and reprimanded I'c who was clearly confused and upset.

Later on, when I brought I'c to wash his hands, he refused to leave the washing area on his own, instead repeatedly washing his hands again and again.

Moving Forward
Today made me draw more comparisons with my previous setting.

Could it be that the children there were able to form better relationships because they were better communicators? And why where they (if at all) better communicators?

The obvious and incorrectly assumed answer would be that my previous setting was “better”. I really don’t feel that way at this point. I loved the children in my previous setting, but always felt that the place had many…shall we say, “shortcomings”. On the other hand, my current work placement honestly seems like a utopia!

I thought of 2 main differences in the settings which might have contributed to my perceived differences in the children’s level of communication and relationship-building. My previous setting had:

1. Baby signing starting from the youngest age group
2. A lot more time allocated to singing
   

I wondered if I could find some way to connect with I'c and get him to be better-behaved, or would his fate be set in stone.

Entry #1, 20 October 2009

Having felt a very strong sense of attachment with the children at my previous setting, I was extremely eager to meet the children at my first work placement. On my first day, I met 11 children aged 1-2, and 5 children aged 0-1.

Two things kept nagging at my brain:

1. I just didn’t feel the same warmth and happiness from the children. Perhaps the children were just more independent or simply not old enough yet to properly express themselves, but I didn’t get that joyful feeling of closeness between children and staff that I got from my previous setting.
2. I felt that I was unfairly comparing them to the previous children I knew, rather than treating each of them as a unique child. I would keep thinking things like Child A has a similar appearance/name/behaviour as Child X from my previous setting. Rather than focusing more on the individuality of Child A, I would keep looking for more similarities with Child X, and simply set myself for more disappointment.
   

On the plus side, 2 different staff told me on separate occasions that they were surprised how the children were so at ease with me so quickly.

Moving Forward

As it’s only my first day, it’s unfair to make too many judgments, especially when a lot of it is probably caused by things like anxiety and fatigue on my part. It also obviously takes time to build relationships, and even the children themselves may be new to the setting as a new academic year has barely begun.