Looking back at my life and the experiences I have had throughout my early childhood career, I have experienced bias over a position I held on a professional level. I took a chance of becoming a leader and supporting those who are teachers to be the best they can be professionally and personally. I was offered the position and was excited to prove that I could handle the position at a young age, late twenties. I supported and helped the teachers overcome and deal with challenging behaviors and struggles they were having in the classroom. I took the time to train the teachers on various topics within the early childhood field and encouraged then to complete the assigned chapter within a month’s time. This is all supported by the Director of the company until some of the teachers brought their complaints to the Director about my performance. The teachers complained that I was spying on them when I entered the classroom and observe what was happening in the classroom. The teachers complained that I was not helpful when they needed help with a challenging situation. The teachers complained that I got special treatment compared to the other staff members in the program. I spoke with my supervisor, who is the Director of the program. We spoke about the various complaints and how to work on them. I was told I should be helpful and supportive when needed and not to push the staff in a negative way. I should always keep myself available to help in the classrooms because that is what an Assistant Director did within any early childhood program. I questioned her about my position and expressed my thoughts on the position, I was turned down and encouraged to make the changes. I felt degraded about my performance and experience within the early childhood field after 10 years. I felt my experience within the field was belittled and what I learned meant nothing. I felt that I still needed to learn more about the early childhood field and was looking towards my supervisor to help me grow professionally in the field. I felt as if I was a teacher instead of an Assistant Director. It made me want to work back in the classroom as a teacher. I felt like I was not being supported in my role as Assistant Director and my supervisor was not guiding me through trainings and support.
The feelings this brought up throughout this situation was heartbreaking. I felt that all the education I had was inferior and I want to the wrong type of school. It made me feel that I what have learned based upon my education, failed me and it was not acceptable to be an Assistant Director. I felt that the years of being in the field, working with young children and their families, would not benefit my ability to be an Assistant Director. I felt lost and worried about my ability to perform the tasks needed to be the Assistant Director, including my role as a teacher. It made me want to go back to school and gain more knowledge about the early childhood field to achieve my goal of becoming a Director of an early childhood program someday.
I think both parties and individuals should be able to sit down and discuss the situation and how my made each of us feel at the moment. If I had more confidence in expressing my feelings to my supervisor, I would have expressed the way she made me feel whether or not she intentionally meant to come across in a certain manner. I would want others to feel confident to share their thoughts and views on a situation that has made them feel belittled, degraded, and inferior towards another person. The ability to speak clearly about how you feel and how a situation made you feel should be a topic to speak about and discussion. Each situation we are in, we can learn from; learn how to deal with situations based on cultural differences and coming together to make a difference.
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your personal experience. I agree with you that it is important to calmly talk about things out in the open. Your supervisor may not have known that she was making you feel degraded due to your education. It may have been unconscious and unintended on her part. As a supervisor, I know from experience that it can challenging to create a collaborative community of team players among staff. Each staff member has their own values and goals and it is difficult sometimes to work together on those. -Mary
Hello Erin,
ReplyDeleteAs a supervisor, it can be difficult to make certain decisions. It is unfortunate that reflective communication is often overlooked when guiding a team. Your director may need to revamp her skills as a leader in order to create a workplace culture that allows staff to learn and grow. Thanks
~Markethia
Hello Erin,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I know of very few people in hgih postions that know how to treat their staff with dignity and respect. I dont know of anyone who isn't a bit leery of meeting with a supervisor regarding their performance. Even if the feedback is needed it is hard to hear. I think in this case, the supervisor should have been more communicative with you. I appreciate your bravery in sharing your story with us. It seems like you have learned quite a bit from the experience, even if it was negative at the time.
Thank you for sharing this. As I read this, I had to stop. All I could think was, "I'm not the only one!" My director has difficulty making a firm decision and telling her staff when they are not doing their job. When I was hired, it was with the understanding that I start in the preschool room and get that room up and running and when the business was more financially stable, would be brought into the office as the assistant director. While still in the preschool room, I was asked to start working on admin situations. Almost 3 months later, I discover my director never told any of the staff what I was hired to do. I made a lot of enemies and am still dealing with damage control 5 years later.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had to go through that, I understand.