Shy and working in Child care

[katie76]

Hi all
I recently started my diploma and also started my placement about a month ago. I was wondering do you have to be a very outgoing person to work in child care? Sometimes during my placement I find myself thinking, could I raise my voice like that? and would I be able to talk to parents effectively? I'm a very shy person. So far during my placement I've been in the kindy room for about 50 hours and only in the nursery once. I loved being in the nursery, felt like I could stay there from opening to closing don't get me wrong I don't mind the kindy/preschool room but it's hard to imagine myself working in there because I'm so shy and they ask so many questions, and they have to raise their voice so much!!
are there any other shy people here and what are your experiences???

[Lorina]

First off it's OK if you are shy, I mean you just started work placement and the more experience you get the more comfortable you will be with the children and their parents. At the beginning it can be very intimidating especially when you're confronted with situations which you don't know how to handle. For example - a screaming baby, a child crying for their parents or a misbehaving child. As you start handling these type of situations you get experience and in turn you will feel more confident in what you are doing.

With parents yes you will be able to talk to them effectively. It's all about being friendly and building positive relationships with them. Smiling at them, telling them about their child's day, showing them photos of their child, showing them their child's art work etc. These are the little things that parents appreciate. You should also be open and honest to be able to discuss issues with parents that may arise such as incidents or accidents or behaviour problems etc. Once again the first few times can be a little daunting but it does get easier.

OK, you mentioned a couple of times that the staff are raising their voices so much. This doesn't have to be the case. it's really up to you as an educator in how you handle situations. Screaming doesn't help! Children wont necessarily listen just because you are screaming at them. Educators who want to intimidate children, tend to scream but I think it leads to the children being disrespectful towards the educator rather then showing respect. If you have clear expectations, set limits, give explanations then you wouldn't have to scream at them. You have to find the balance!

You still have a lot of hours left and I would lke to hear how you go after you finish work placement to see if you still consider yourself shy.

Enjoy it!

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

The following may help:

Behaviour Management In Childcare
Encouraging Phrases For Children

,
Lorina

[katie76]

Thank you!!!
Do you know what qualifications they look for in the babies room? would my Diploma be ok once I finish it?

[Lorina]

Yes, having a cert 3 or Diploma is the right qualification for working in the babies room. As a Diploma qualified you can be a room leader...

It seems like you found out which age group suits you!

,
Lorina

[katie76]

Thank you!!

[Lorina]

You're most welcome!

,
Lorina