Tuesday, September 23, 2014
The many roles of a program director
While reading through chapter to of the second chapter of " the visionary director" my eyes where really opened my eyes to all the work that directors of programs have to do. I never stopped to think about the extent of the work done by directors. Their job not only requires them to interact and direct every aspect of the program from hiring to curriculum. Reading through this chapter has shed a new light on the way I see administration and I now realize the heavy load that they carry.
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This chapter of the text was definitely insightful for me as well. What aspect of the Triangle Framework was most meaningful for you? Why?
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at the idea of a director and the work they do, I look at the experiences of the directors I worked under? What models of a director (if not in an ECE program) have you experienced? How do they relate to this framework?
Hi Maika,
ReplyDeleteWhat role do you think balance has in a director's responsibilities and actions? Can balance be the way a director defines what is important and enacted at a center? In what ways might a director rethink his position so that the large amount of work (as you describe) becomes how relationships and balance happen?
If you consider many of the expected and traditional practices within early childhood, have directors continued to perpetuate these ideas rather than disrupt and rethink what could be possible at an early childhood center? How might you disrupt and rethink as a director?
Cheers,
Jeanne
Malika,
ReplyDeleteI hardly get to see my director because she is also a professor at HCC, I was her office assistant for a semester and I can tell you, it is crazy! There was a long list of things that I had to do, and somehow it takes forever for anything to get finished because she always find something more important that needs to be done that day. So it was hard, I can't imagine all that she does for the preschool because she still manages to be able to keep the preschool intact and the staff sane. Watching her go in and out of her office and sometimes not even seeing her at all really makes me appreciate all that she does for us because she still manages to come to our weekly meetings and give input to what we have to do. Do you think that you would be able to handle all that pressure? I feel like it would be a big responsibility. I always wonder how she is able to balance everything that she does.
Why do program directors have to take on all of the burden. It's insane the amount of work professionals in this field have to take on. The amount of responsibility plus the workload is almost inhumane. People wonder why many people don't want to be teachers. When I made the big announcement to my family that I was going to school to become a teacher, some reached out to me privately to discourage me. I was so offended and upset by this because it was my dream. But they had genuine concern that the pay for the amount of work involved would leave to a poor quality of life. When I did my service learning, all I heard were frustrations and complaints. I think if the compensation was better, people would feel better about the workload.
ReplyDeleteHi Maiki,
ReplyDeleteSimilar to you, I have never realized the amount of work done by directors to administer their programs. It is hard to think about other’s positions when you are so focused on your own tasks. Yet, directors are the ones to manage and oversee everyone’s involvement in the center! What challenges do you see yourself, as a director, struggle with to maintain a balance amid your program? How can you regard these challenges?
Reflecting upon my center’s director, I consider her to be an awesome director. To be in charge of a staff that is a feminine dominated profession can be difficult. I remembered my interview meeting with her for my position. She informed me in the beginning that she trusts me to talk with my colleagues to resolve ‘our’ issues before seeking her for help. I believe that having trust as well as an understanding with one another is an important leadership that directors should foster with their teams. How does others (children, aids, assistants, and leads) affect the balance of the center?