Supporting my staff and children

Unfortunately, four weeks ago a co-worker in my room resigned and took a new position elsewhere. A casual unqualified teacher has come in to cover this position temporarily, but I am hoping she will become long term. She just seems to have a natural disposition to care and respect our young children, but after a couple of days with us I could sense her feeling stressed. It was a rough introduction for her as we have had four young children start nursery in a very short space of time. R. mentioned that she wanted to have a quick catch up, so we found a quiet space in the day when we could pop out of the room. She aired her concerns with me, and I must admit that I had also been feeling really stressed and that I couldn't give my children the quality time I know they all deserve. But it would be so easy for me to just give in and have a good ol' moan and whine about it ( I know I felt like it). Instead, I took the pro-active approach of 'this is the situation we are in, these are the children and they are here now. What can we as the adults do to control the situation a bit more'. I  acknowledged R's concerns, and valued that she could speak with me so openly. Together we talked through some strategies, which  included changing our planning. Our focus has been 'The impact I have on the world around me'. By acknowledging and responding to our new babies needs, we are showing them that they are valued and that they have an impact on us - while in nursery, we are their world. I also introduced R. to bubbles of care. Whilst she is in the middle of a care routine - feeding, nappies, settling, the other staff are available to interact with the other children. I suggested we try and reinforce a 'baby area', a section of the room where the younger babies can be with an adult, interacting with each other and appropriate equipment - a safe place.
After consultation with the centre manager, I also spoke to the head teacher of nursery two about releasing the 7th member of staff (float position), allowing her to come into nursery one during our busier moments and to help support during lunch time.
Hopefully by putting these techniques into action we are able to create a calmer, more relaxing environment for us all.
This is an example of dimension 23 - demonstrating flexibility and adaptability, and dimension 24 - focusing on teaching and learning. It is all about the children, and by responding to their needs they are learning that they will be heard and respected. It was also an opportunity for me to lead and support other teachers - dimension 25.

Reflection of the December observation video

I know it has taken a while, but after watching it a few times I have reflected on the video of me and the flour exploration that took place last December, 2012.

I think this video was good for me to see, as I do find it uncomfortable to watch myself. I always seem to see all the faults, things I don't like, but I know this activity was right for this group of children. It was following on from a similar activity the previous day with flour on trays at the table, and I thought directly onto the table would be a good idea. I sat down at the children's level as I shared out the flour. By using the one scoop, I was able to model sharing, rather than a separate scoop for each serve. It possibly wasn't obvious to the children, but I like to add those little touches, just in case they are noticed.
I began to model circular movements in the flour, and some children began to imitate, while one child just observed me. As a child patted their flour, I then became the imitator, reinforcing the action they chose to do.  One child in particular seemed more interested in moving her chair, and so I redirected her back to the activity, adapting the activity by encouraging her to manipulate the flour on the floor in a similar way that we used our hands.
Charlotte began to get upset as I walked past her, so I was able to reposition my self to be nearer both her and the child that was moving the chair. I was really pleased with the amount of time she spent at the activity - when she first began with us, Charlotte appeared to not be very comfortable participating in any group activities, let alone a messy activity. So by joining in with flour play shows how far she has developed. She was ready for a sleep, so my colleague was able help by readying her for bed so that I could continue to finish up the activity. As the children removed themselves from the table, I was ready with a face cloth that I could offer, allowing them the opportunity to respond by holding out their hands.
In the background of the video, the vacuum cleaner could be seen. I had made sure all resources needed were ready before we began. After the video had ended, I plugged in the vacuum to clean up the flour and this was the beginning of another great activity. Some children who decided not to explore the flour decided that they would like to help use the vacuum. I believe that children should have the choice whether they want to participate or not, as they are not all interested in the same things. By having this divided into two activities, different interests were catered for, showing that I am able to recognise and support diversity among groups and individuals. It also displays ethical behaviour and responsibility; respecting the rights and choices of the individual children.