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Boosting Confidence In Your Child Care Program
Posted on September 24th, 2009 96 comments“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience
in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the
thing which you think you cannot do.” – - Eleanor RooseveltMy 5-year-old nephew sat on my lap as he played his computer game. I watched and cheered him on as his points added up. He took delight in how many points he was scoring and loved that I was sharing in his success.
But in a minute – his excitement and delight quickly vanished as he approached one segment of the game. It was a new segment. One he had not triumphed over before. He quickly stated: you play now. He wanted me to take over for him because he thought he would fail. He said: I’m scared. He didn’t ask for help or want me to show him how to succeed in playing this new segment — he wanted me to take over.
Do you ever feel like your staff wants you to take over when things get too hard or too challenging? What do you do? Do you jump right in and solve the problem or take care of the issue?
I thought about what I should with my nephew for a minute. I’ve seen him fail before and it’s not a pretty sight. When he loses a game he cries and gets upset with the people he’s playing with. Sometime he states: I don’t like her anymore!Yes, he even says: I hate her! Ouch. His logic is overcome by emotion. No, not an experience I enjoy.
But I also realize if I don’t encourage him to try, and if I don’t resist taking over for him he will not gain the experience of accomplishing a new success, a success that will increase his confidence. He will give up when it comes to that part of the game. He will think: I can’t do that. And if I take over for him I’m saying: You’re right – you can’t do that. Let me do it.
So I encourage him to give it a try. He sits nervously on my lap and agrees to give it a shot. He experiences some new successes and yes, some failed attempts. With each failed attempt he’s one step closer to experiencing a new success. We agree to play again tomorrow and go one step further in the game. Maybe it will be the day we break down the brick barricade and save the princess!
Sometimes adults need a little push, a little encouragement to give a new experience a try. Perhaps some of your staff could use a push to participate in the team building activity at a staff meeting; or encouragement to speak directly to a peer about a problem they’re facing. Perhaps some staff members would gain more confidence if they thought about solutions to their challenges instead of expecting you to provide them. And maybe some staff would benefit from being included in resolving a difficult issue with a parent.Although they may experience some failed attempts — they’ll be one step closer to experiencing a new success. And each new success adds up to increased self-confidence.
Please leave your comments on this topic below. I’d love to hear from you!
Weekly Tips child care leadership, child care leadership training, motivate teachers, NAEYC, team building in child care1 responses to “Boosting Confidence In Your Child Care Program”
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This article is such a good reminder of how it is so important to empower staff as much as possible.
Sometimes it’s much easier to step in and handle or make the decision for how to handle a difficult situation but if staff are able to they should play a part in the solution. Some situations, especially extremely serious ones need director involvement but many day-to-day issues should be handled by classroom staff especially head teachers.
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About Julie Bartkus
Julie Bartkus is the "Staff Motivation Solution" for early care and educational professionals. If you want to know what is really de-motivating your staff, ask Julie Bartkus. She is an internationally known speaker and coach who is dedicated to helping leaders create the positive and productive workplaces that they desire and deserve. She is best known for helping leaders transform their workplaces through eliminating the destructive communication patterns (such as workplace gossip) and mindsets that keep their teams stuck.
Her articles have been circulated throughout the world through publications such as Child Care Information Exchange, The School Administrator, Child Care Business, Television and Entertainment Guide, Illinois News (A publication of AEYC).
Julie offers customized keynote presentations, full-day retreats (on-site and through associations), group coaching and one-on-one personal coaching.
Shelly Buckmeier September 28th, 2009 at 10:41