My new book, Monday Memo: Creating Change in a Early Childhood a Education, One Message at a Time, (www.rockingrventures.com), is written in memos: to teachers, parents, friends, etc. Below is an except, written to a fellow director. I wonder if you see yourself in this message?
September 29
Dear Beth,
I feel so badly about the challenges at your school. Whenever there’s change, there’s fear and anxiety. Your staff and families are not upset at you; they are simply concerned about the unknown and need more information.
You told me that the parents expect academic results. My parents here have that same concern. All parents want what is best for their child. My response? Give them the best. Show the parents academic results. Document what the children learn when they collaborate on a project. Identify the counting, sorting and one-to-one correspondence, addition and other math skills they learn as they play grocery store. Make sure parents understand that the teachers also have academic goals for the children, and organize the environment with those goals in mind. Don’t change your plan, Beth. Change your marketing.
Share stories of success. Use successes to show parents not only WHAT the child learned but HOW the child learned. For example, don’t let a teacher send home Bobby’s blueprint of an airport without an explanation. Have her explain that while he was drawing it he was retelling the story of how he and his mom were snowed in at the airport for an entire day. Connect the memory to the drawing, and point out that he labeled all the restaurants and the bathrooms. Explain that labeling is graphic representation, a precursor to writing.
Beth, you know as well as I do that running a school has its ups and downs. Downs happen when we forget that our teachers and parents are as valuable as our children, and we take them for granted or view them as the enemy. Stay connected with your teachers. Meet with parents on a regular basis. You will win this school, I assure you. Go Beth!
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