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.