Mentoring Assistants

[fchaudari76]

Next year I will be GL of the toddler room. The assistant I will have was the assistant of the 3-5 room this year and on a few occassions has said to me that she has found it stressful and that age group too stressful.
She is a lovely lady and we get along v. well. I just worry that if she found 3-5s a stressful age group, then well Toddlers can be more ... so how will she go?
She also is a very straightforward no nonsense type person and I think has yet to find her softer, more compassionate side.
I really want to help her and make being my assistant a good experience for her.
So far I have told her that there will be a routine and she will know in advance exactly what she is doing (as she said she finds it hard just "winging it")
I am hoping that leading by example will be the best way to show her the best way to deal with the children etc.

Is there anything else anyone recommends that I can do

[cathiek]

fefe, I think it can be a great idea to find out their strengths and areas of interest. My last assistant (I am moving in 2012) loved to set up the outside area to cater for different gross motor activities so this became her thing. She was pretty organised (like me) which worked really well as we both made sure that at the end of each day we were set up (as much as you can be anyway) for the next day. I think though, it is important to remember they are your assistant and are not paid the massive $$ (LOL!!) we are so they shouldn't be overloaded with responsibilities that may cause stress. I tried to talk to my assistant to find out if there was anything that she was behind in/needed time for/help with etc. That's not to say it ran perfectly but i found that letting her know beforehand was really good as she knew what was required. Regular catch ups to see what is working well, needs improvement too.
Hope this helps - I will have someone new in 2012 so will also be starting anew.
CAthiek

[teresamc]

I agree with the above. Work to each other's strengths and keep the lines of communication open.
It is also important to celebrate the successes of colleagues as well as those of children. If she has done something really well or something has worked out well due to her actions let her know. It goes a long way towards creating a healthy workplace culture.

[fchaudari76]

I am the type of person who believes in sharing the work load... I do not expect my assistants to do any tasks that I do not do or am willing to do myself. They are not there to just clean and do the "crappy" jobs, I enjoy teaching my assistants about the paperwork and how to do observations etc so they are more prepared should they choose to study further one day.
I am just concerned as I think this person has not had the best experience in her previous room and I do not want her to get disallusioned as she will probably leave if she is not happy ... I also worry as I am a very organised person and like having certain things done a certain way so I can ensure they are done properly... when in comes to my room and how I manage things everything has to be done to A+ standards.
Anyway I will do what I usually do and she will be a part of helping me do obs and plan activities etc for the children so she feels more included and more responsible.
Hopefully this works! I am pretty optimistic about it.