Preparing for a Career in a School or Early Childhood Program

Preparing for a Career in a School or Early Childhood Program

New tutors face various challenges, particularly during their first year. Leenders et al. (2019) say new tutors struggle with so many things, like an unsupportive working environment, classroom management, and organization, among other things. This means the teaching career is among the few professions that compel a teacher to take several roles like a friend, doctor, psychologist, and doctor. The job needs patience and time. Most importantly, for educators to execute their functions effectively, it is vital that support, guidance, and training are integral in a teacher’s life. Besides, tutors have to work with each kid’s family to get close to the child and establish trust. In addition, Gonzalez-Mena’s (2017) research realized that mutual respect and interdependence of school, community, and home are vital to learners’ growth. The paper will explore the kind of support, guidance, and training tutors will need to become capable and comfortable in working with families.

Areas That Require Guidance, Support, or Training When Working with Families

The positive support system is the first factor that will enable a teacher to reach learners’ families who are under my care. A wise man once said that no man is an island, which is very applicable to teaching discipline. A new tutor, the principal, and experienced educators can help establish a good relationship with learners’ families. Lessons and information from already experienced or past tutors about their expectations and experiences from parents will educate me on ideas for handling different kids. The senior tutors and the principal would be in the best position to identify the kind of family every child has and share experiences faced (Gonzalez-Mena, 2017).

Furthermore, receiving guidance or support from experienced individuals would prepare me for what I will be challenged with. Acknowledging the best methods to utilize while talking to families would reduce the scrutiny I will face. With such knowledge and recognition that I have a strong support system, the confidence and relationship required to relate with the families will be less worrying—not being blindfolded when handling matters would make me more competent and relaxed. When the positive energy is transferred from the educator to families, it positively enhances strong and better relationships.

Training will be the second kind of support. I will need to be competent and comfortable working with the families. Training goes beyond mere content delivery; it includes how lessons are taught, the considerable skills and learning styles of kids, culture, and the strategies a tutor can use to interact with and impact families to better train their kids. Adequate training of educators enables them to narrow the gap between diverse ethnic communities. My college experience helped me get first-hand experiences with theories and research on various cultures and how particular families behave and act in the manner they do. With such lessons, the teacher is educated on handling specific behaviors and circumstances without offending cultural beliefs.

Moreover, acquiring skills from proper training would benefit everyone, where the teacher, children, and families would be free to share ideas and learn from one another. Leenders et al. (2019) affirm that training is a confidence booster that prepares and makes a person comfortable. Provided that I can get the cultural training I require, my classroom setting will be welcoming to parents and children.

Finally, a mentor will better guide me to be capable and comfortable working with families. Therefore, new teachers must be paired with mentors to support and guide them through interacting with families and learners. Mentorship programs will allow tutors to participate in numerous role-playing activities. Teachers will be paired with experienced educators who can be guided or work in unity to solve an issue that arises when interacting with families. The knowledge from mentors will enable me as a new teacher to learn from my mentor the skills, abilities, and strategies that allow smooth interaction with families to be able to teach their children effectively.

Getting the Assistance

Constant interaction is the primary means of getting assistance. I will do this by first learning about my learners’ families and being comfortable with them. I will encourage regular invitations to student families to school to be part of what is taking part in our classes. This idea will create an environment where the tutor can witness the interaction between parents and children and build a relationship and rapport with the families. Hill, Witherspoon & Bartz (2018) state that when parents feel appreciated and welcomed, they create a strong trust in the teacher. Therefore, constant interactions will only reinforce the relationship. As a tutor, I will be better placed to cater to individual learners’ needs. The learner being part of this entire collaboration between the parent and teacher would make them more interested in learning because the gap between school and home will be closed or bridged.

Parents train their children to speak about issues that affect them, their fears, or their doubts. This advice should be transferred to the teacher so that the necessary assistance can be obtained. This means speaking is the next powerful resource I will use to seek help. As a result, I will be able to mobilize the community, my colleagues, and even students and talk to them about the benefits of parent, teacher, and child interaction; it will enhance smooth learning as the teacher will be more capable and comfortable to engage with the families. This community mobilization will be vital; I will provide resources and publications if I can and use them to talk to the community, especially parents, about the essence of being engaged in their learner’s education. Particularly, I will highlight an important point that will help bridge the gap between schools and home; as a result, it will allow effective learning.

Finally, I will use technology since it is the most accessible resource that connects me to different people. The internet will be very important in giving me the answers I need. In addition, it will help me connect and join various teaching associations groups and link with other tutors globally who might be experiencing the same issue and be able to get a perfect solution. The internet can be an ideal solution if I need the necessary training to cope and reach learners’ families. For instance, I can browse and get viable tips on what I can do. Also, I can get a first-hand glimpse of what help I need with live forums. Tutors must use the available and accessible resources for guidance, training, and support, making the job much simpler for everybody involved.

Questions I Would Ask If I Needed Information, Help, or Advice From a Supervisor or More Experienced Colleagues

Human beings are never perfect, and I am also prone to mistakes. Nonetheless, being a tutor means early preparation to eliminate as many errors as possible. Therefore, whenever the needs arise, I will approach my colleague, mentor, or supervisor, and I will do that quickly as a new teacher. As such, one of the questions I would ask my supervisors is how I can positively inform a parent about their kid’s indiscipline or suspected wrong behavior by avoiding casting judgment. The second question is, should I always handle a situation instantly when I am the victim and annoyed, or is it fine to walk away and resolve the issue later? This question is vital because resolving conflict is an essential skill, and there are scenarios where one might react too harshly when annoyed or when they are the victim and would only notice their harsh reaction once they calm down. The final question is whether it is right to be emotionally engaged with a learner who has been abused, what approaches I can use if I cannot be attached emotionally, and what I can do to assist as a teacher upon realizing such cases. This question is imperative because, as a tutor, I know there should be a distinction between emotionally attached and professional. Yet, most times, when learners experience abuse, teachers may become too involved. Generally, the institution and families need to work as one for the betterment of the student, teacher, and society. Teachers also should not shy away away from seeking help or assistance, guidance, and training on how to be comfortable and capable of working with families.

References

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2017). Child, Family, and Community: Family-Centered Early Care and Education, 7th Edition. Bookshelf Online. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780133948752/.

Hill, N. E., Witherspoon, D. P., & Bartz, D. (2018). Parental involvement in education during middle school: Perspectives of ethnically diverse parents, teachers, and students. The Journal of Educational Research, 111(1), 12-27.

Leenders, H., De Jong, J., Monfrance, M., & Haelermans, C. (2019). Building strong parent-teacher relationships in primary education: The challenge of two-way communication. Cambridge Journal of Education, 49(4), 519-533.

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For this assessment, you will create an 8-12 slide PowerPoint presentation for one or more stakeholders or leadership groups to generate interest and buy-in for the plan proposal you developed for the third assessment.
2. How would you go about getting this assistance?
3. If you could ask for information, help, or advice from a supervisor or more experienced colleague, what three questions would you ask?