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.