How to deal with a frustrating director
Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:51 pm
Hi everyone, I've recently started my traineeship at a centre and so far am enjoying it greatly! I just have one problem; the director.
She seemed great at first but it became clear to me quite early on that the other workers really dislike her. Over time I've noticed how frustrating she can be. She'll come to our room and nitpick at things like "using spray and wipe like that will poison the children!" and "you can't put your drink bottles on the shelf counter because DOCS will come and shut us down!". It's crazy. She'll make me and another trainee clean the room that the ECT works in (because she doesn't do any cleaning) on our breaks and will stand there and police how we do everything because "DOCS will come!!!!" which is a crazy threat that she always uses about everything. Every time I see her she'll have something new to complain about, like how I must stand in front of this certain tree in the playground for two hours so the children won't try and climb it, or how I didn't fill up the drink bottles right (?????) and it's becoming increasingly upsetting. She does it to all of us who aren't the ECT or diploma girls and we dread when she comes in to the centre because she makes us so angry and nervous.
On top of all that, she's recently implemented a rule that we can't hold, pick up or have the children on our laps. Sometimes at drop off or if the kids get hurt theres no other option! They need a cuddle, or to be held! It's heartbreaking for me to see the children crying their hearts out when she's observing us and not being allowed to pick them up. The other day I was holding a 1 yr old who was upset and sick and giving him a cuddle and wiping his nose when she forced me to put him down. She won't even allow us to pick them up to change nappies or if they can't walk! How else are we supposed to move them around?
Also, she gets mad at us for not having enough things up in our rooms or enough books but refuses to buy us resources. I've only been there two months and have already bought endless amount of craft supplies, puzzles, toys, books and posters. There's also always a shortage of staff and we have to combine rooms and move to one which stuffs around our curriculum and programming and doesn't allow any of the children to settle into a routine.
I love my centre because I've already formed wonderful relationships with the staff and the children, who I adore. I'm only doing a traineeship and I don't want to leave but I just get so frustrated! Any advice for how I can stick this out?
She seemed great at first but it became clear to me quite early on that the other workers really dislike her. Over time I've noticed how frustrating she can be. She'll come to our room and nitpick at things like "using spray and wipe like that will poison the children!" and "you can't put your drink bottles on the shelf counter because DOCS will come and shut us down!". It's crazy. She'll make me and another trainee clean the room that the ECT works in (because she doesn't do any cleaning) on our breaks and will stand there and police how we do everything because "DOCS will come!!!!" which is a crazy threat that she always uses about everything. Every time I see her she'll have something new to complain about, like how I must stand in front of this certain tree in the playground for two hours so the children won't try and climb it, or how I didn't fill up the drink bottles right (?????) and it's becoming increasingly upsetting. She does it to all of us who aren't the ECT or diploma girls and we dread when she comes in to the centre because she makes us so angry and nervous.
On top of all that, she's recently implemented a rule that we can't hold, pick up or have the children on our laps. Sometimes at drop off or if the kids get hurt theres no other option! They need a cuddle, or to be held! It's heartbreaking for me to see the children crying their hearts out when she's observing us and not being allowed to pick them up. The other day I was holding a 1 yr old who was upset and sick and giving him a cuddle and wiping his nose when she forced me to put him down. She won't even allow us to pick them up to change nappies or if they can't walk! How else are we supposed to move them around?
Also, she gets mad at us for not having enough things up in our rooms or enough books but refuses to buy us resources. I've only been there two months and have already bought endless amount of craft supplies, puzzles, toys, books and posters. There's also always a shortage of staff and we have to combine rooms and move to one which stuffs around our curriculum and programming and doesn't allow any of the children to settle into a routine.
I love my centre because I've already formed wonderful relationships with the staff and the children, who I adore. I'm only doing a traineeship and I don't want to leave but I just get so frustrated! Any advice for how I can stick this out?
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