Pre Kindy Room - All Day Free Play Educators Not Interested

[kapow]

I am a student who is currently doing work placement in a pre-kindy room where the ages are from 3-5. After completing my second day of the five, I started to realise that the educators in the room were happier talking amongst themselves rather than engaging with the children.

The diploma educator is always asking the children to get her items rather than doing it herself and it seems that every day is free play thus far. Am I ignorant in thinking that there should be a mix of intentional learning and free play?

If free play, all the time is what it’s supposed to be like then I fear I have made a huge mistake in taking on this diploma and would have been better off doing something else.

I also would like to know, what is the role of an ECT in the room? I have asked a few people what the other rooms are like and they have told me that they are much the same. I would have thought that the room with the ECT would be a little different being that there is an ECT in the room but yet again… I was wrong.

Any help would be great and even some insight into what your centres are like.

[Lorina]

Hi,

I'm sorry that you're at a centre like that where the educators seem less interested in the children and would rather engage amongst themselves. Argh! That's really frustrating!

No! It's not supposed to be like that! Educators should be engaging with the children in their experiences, having group times with the children for intentional teaching, doing spontaneous activities when they notice an interest emerging, observing children and writing observations, planning for the following day, extending on skills, mentoring you! There is so much to do I don't know how they have time to talk to one another!

Regarding the ECT, in the pre-kindy room, they should be implementing a school readiness program along with programming and planning etc.

You know we have all the standards and we have the framework yet it really depends on each individual educator on what they want to do, which is so frustrating. At some centres, the educators are so fantastic and the children learn and develop so much! Yet at other centres, the educators couldn't really care and the children really miss out!

I'm sorry you're going through this! I just want to re-assure you that not all centres are like this!

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

Do they have a program?

Do they do group time?

,
Lorina

[kapow]

What a relief! I was starting to worry about my decision to go into childcare!

They seem to do programming and make observations but it seems like the programming is used as free time to do journals and the observations are to appear like they are doing something.

As for group time, that only seems to happen when they come inside or are about to go outside.

There seems to be some intentional learning but it hasn't been touched upon once since I started in the room. Not even something as small as a book being read relating to the topic...

Thank you for setting my mind at ease. I can go into the centre on Monday and not care about how uninterested my supervisor is because I know now that even without my diploma qualification, I'm a better educator than her already!

[Lorina]

I wonder if you can lead by example! Would you be able to plan your own group time with the children! Read the group stories, plan activities based on their interests... I know you can't really take over the room but maybe 1 intentional teaching you could do a day...

What do you think?

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

How long are you there for work placement for?

,
Lorina

[kapow]

I have 2 days left, which doesn't leave much time to implement changes in the room that may stick once I'm gone. I have my focus children which I will implement experiences so my focus will be on pulling that off.

I feel bad for the kids in the room and feel they could be getting so much more out of their time in the centre but it's just not happening. At the end of the day, I may fail my work placement but I really don't mind because its an opportunity to start again with a centre that may have the same values and beliefs that I do.

Just got to get through the next two days knowing its not always going to be like this!

[Lorina]

Yes, you're right it's not going to always be like this and at least you can observe what type of educator you don't want to be...

Enjoy your last couple of days!

,
Lorina

[kapow]

Just wanted to say thanks for your kind words.

Final day today and it broke my heart when I presented my experience plan to one of my focus kids. He was so excited that I made something with his interests in mind. It was super simple but he was ecstatic.

Makes me thankful that I haven't let this experience ruin my desire to work in childcare. So thank you once again. Figure I'll spread the love since I didn't even get a goodbye from my supervisor.

[Lorina]

I really think that RTO's should have a list of centres for their students to choose from when they are doing work placement... So many students have wasted their time during work placement by not being mentored or not being given the time to complete their own work. A lot of centres are taking students for granted and it's really not the best way to get students actively involved in early childhood.

Something needs to be done about it!

,
Lorina