Read the Talking with Families scenarios (pick 2) or Sad Little Bird scenario. Imagine you are the teacher in each situation. Apply the TouchPoints principles from Gurdais (2012) to the scenarios and answer the following questions:
- Which scenarios did you chose? Why? (You should pick Sad Little Bird or 2 scenarios from Talking with Families).
- How will you communicate with the families? What will you say? Be specific.
- What are some of the concerns the family may have around each issue?
Respond to 2 other posts!
Scenarios (Pick either Sad Little Bird or 2 from Talking with Families):
Talking with Families Scenarios (pick 2)
Complete the mid-semester survey on Blackboard (in the Assignments section, at the top of the page — its 2.5 points)! C
The scenario that i chose was Sad Little Bird because i felt more for this situation.First and foremost things do happen and even though im not a mother or teacher i can still understand both sides. This is why communication is so important because we can understand different circumstances. I would assume that maybe something is going on personally that is stopping Emma’s mom to drop off and pick her up on time. As a teacher if im not able to accomodate her time then i would see if there is someone else who can pick the baby up because that will ensure the baby is in safe hands after the program is done. Also i would try to see if eveything isokay with her and to check in with everything. I strongly feel like communication is key sometimes things happen tat we cant control so we have to try to be the best support system towards parents. Lilly wasn’t handling this the right way because she’s complaining but she should have her contact information so she can speak with the parent when she has time in a respectful and professional manner.
Yes Sarah, I think communication is important and asking questions can help teachers support parents through challenging times.
I agree Sarah, I believe communication is everything and if you don’t have communication, then people will just be confused throughout life not understanding the reasons for things.
I agree Sarah, Both Lily and Darla were not respectful to the mothers situation. Darla’s eye roll was too much smh.
I definitely agree with you their Sarah, communication is key and Lily was not handling the situation very well.
Agree 100%
Sarah — Thanks for your insights. I agree, communication with families is key! What could Lilly have said to Mrs Mohar? What would you have done if Emmal and Mrs. Mohar were a family in your class? How could Lilly have supported Mrs Mohar given the situation she is facing?
Scenario #1: – Mi, a toddler in your class continues to have bathroom accidents. She is having multiple accidents each day. Ms. Lin, her mom, has told you that Mi is toilet trained
If I was in this situation I would say “Hi Lin, do you know Mi had another accident today, I see this has been happening often, is there anything I can do to help, or is there anything that you are doing at home that I can help apply here to support Mi with not having these accidents?”.
Concerns – Mi may not be waiting to go to the bathroom in school because she may nervous or feel uncomfortable or she may not be toilet trained at all.
Scenario #3: – Carlos, a dad of twins is late to pick up the babies multiple times during the week. You know that the Carlos is out of work. The lateness began once he lost his job.
If I was the teacher is this situation I would say “Hi Carlos I’ve notice you have been late picking up the twins a few times during the week, is there anything I can do to support you with this matter. Do you may be need me to extend your pickup times for the days you know you may be late or if you need any kind of support, you can let me know, I will be happy to assist you through this time”.
Concerns- I think Carlos may have been late because he may have other personal things going on like trying to find a new job and may be the only one supporting the twins. He may also be stress from losing his job.
I like your answer to scenario 3. Communication with the parents can change so much and have a positive outcome for everyone.
Hi Erica
Communication is very important especially when you want a healthy relationship. I agree with your scenario 3
The scenario I chose was Sad Little Bird because the title just caught my attention. After reading this I just felt so bad for the mother, She feels so alone and no one understands what’s going on in her life and how stressed she is because no one asks her. If i was the teacher I would communicate with Emmal’s mother and ask her if there is anything going on personally so I know what’s going on and why she drops off Emmal so late and picks him up late in the afternoon also. Then I’d ask if there was anything I can do to help. Communication can do so much for one person. I feel that instead of making Mrs. Mohar feel alone and scared, Lily should have been more concerned on why Emmal arrives late. You never know what a person is going through unless you talk to them.
Its funny because the title caught my attention too lol. I agree as a mother myself I feel for the mom in this situation. You really don’t know what someone is going through unless you talk to them. That’s why communication is so important and check ins do matter.
Sad little bird had also caught my attention and I definitely agree with you that as a teacher you should always do you best to communicate with the parent to see if their is anything going on and how you can help.
Hi Solanny I agree with your statement communication can do so much for one person , because the mother could possibly have just needed someone to open up to and talk to and you helped her with that.
Solanny, I agree. I also felt bad for the mother because she seemed really stressed with no help.
Which scenarios did you chose? Why? (You should pick Sad Little Bird or 2 scenarios from Talking with Families). I chose Sad little Bird because I liked the title.
How will you communicate with the families? What will you say? Be specific. First and foremost I would ask the director to have a meeting with Lily and Darla to see why they are rolling their eyes and making inappropriate comments about the children’s parents. I would also express to the director that this matter shouldn’t be addressed via telephone and would rather have the conversation with the parent face to face. Secondly I would capture a moment through out the day when the child is maybe laughing/smiling and send the child parent a text. Something on the lines “look what were learning today, cant wait to discuss more in detail what we did today”. Use that as a Segway during pick up to check in parent to see what’s going on and see if I can support them in any challenges they are currently facing. This would give me an opportunity to consider the parents point of view and feelings as Brazelton discussed in Gurdais (2012).
What are some of the concerns the family may have around each issue? The family may feel lack of empathy from staff, because of their situation being called out while they are work and already feeling overwhelmed.
Wow nice Deb, I like how you would address this situation, I think you would get a positive outcome if going about it this way.
The scenario I chose was sad little bird because it is something that I have actually seen in a few mother’s that I already know and it caught my attention.If I was the teacher I would do my best to communicate with the mother, I would try to do what I can to help because as a mother myself I know how hard it is to raise your child alone and try to be able to make it to work on time while also trying to drop off and pick up your child from daycare or school. I would also inform the mother on how the child is doing throughout the day instead of making up lies that the child is okay, I would try to meet with the mother to see how we can better her schedule with arriving on time and making the child feel more comfortable. I felt that the staff were to quick to judge Mrs. Mohar making it seem like she is doing everything wrong as a parent on purpose when that wasn’t the case at all. She is a single mother trying to take care of her child and keep her job. Lily, Darla, and the rest of the staff should have done their best to communicate with Mrs. Mohar instead thinking differently about her situation.
Tiana
I agree that it hard for a single parent to raise a child while trying to work, and a lot of people never really understand how hard it can be
Hi Tiara! I agree with you even when I’m not a mom. When I become one I would like to feel supported from the staff that cares for my little one. I have always believe that communication is the solution to absolutely everything. Instead of just finding the problem we should always stress on the possible way to help be part of the solution.
Hi Tiara, I agree being a single parent can be very hard and overwhelming.
Sad Little Bird
-The title alone was very intriguing so I decided to give it a read. If I were the teacher in this situation, I would express my empathy and offer my help to the parent. Being the last of 8 watching my mom raise her kids for a while by herself I can understand why the parent was struggling to work and still be there for her child. As the teacher I would come up with my way to help the mother and maybe even help her to figure out a schedule so that it makes the pick up ad drop off process for her a lot easier. In this situation communication is key. It is important to voice things especially if it effecting the child or hindering the child in any way. Over all I felt like the family felt a lack of empathy from the staff because they just judged her of all of her mistakes and it most likely made her feel like her best was not enough.
Hey Aalyah, I agree that it’s important for us as future childcare providers to also help out and understand the parents and their situations.
Aalyah, I understand your situation and I really appreciate how you have linked your own example to this. Communication is very important especially between the teacher and the family.
Sad Little Bird: I have chose this scenario because the I felt I wanted to give my opinion about it. I couldn’t help myself from feeling sad for the mother, She feels she has no support whatsoever, being by herself without having anybody understand and be in her shoes. no one understands what she is going through because nobody has cared to ask her and see how she is doing. As a teacher I would make sure a have a relationship of communication with Emma’s mom so that I can make sure I’m aware of their process. I belive that as teachers/caregivers we should always be able to create a bond with the parents so that we can be able to offer our help or support, so situations like dropping off Emma so late may have a solution. We don’t realize how much we could help somebody just by asking them if they are of, or if there’s something we could do for them.Better than having Mrs. Mohar feeling not supported, Lily should havecared and find out why Emma arrives late.
Hey Juli, I totally agree, I believe it’s very important to never jump to conclusions and speculate without truly knowing what’s going on with infants/toddlers and families.
Agreed! Like this parent who has no support, we as teachers can be their support system if we find a way to help them and become understanding and hear them out.
1. The scenario that I chose was “Sad Little Bird” because it’s something that I am very familiar with, my grandmother for years has taken care of children both in and out of our family and I’ve been around a lot of those children to know that things happen and that it’s sometimes really hard to work and have to drop off your kid/ pick up your kid from a place especially if one is a single parent and doesn’t have much help.
2. If I were in this situation and was one of the teachers I would approach the mother once she comes to pick up Emmal and ask her how is she doing, how’s everything at home. I will request that we meet and have a talk whether it’s in person or through phone whichever works best for her and go into depths about how Emmal is doing and if there’s anything going on at home.
3. The concerns that the families may have around the issue would be that she does not have any extra help at home so that’s why she’s always late and that the teacher’s approach wasn’t very professional along with them lying about how Emmal would be fine once she left but in the phone call they are telling her something else.
agreed! to find ways to communicate with the parent at their time and be available at that time.
Hey Amairany, I like how would have handled the situation. I also love how you were able to connect this with your personal life. Good Job :).
I agree with the way you would’ve handled the situation. Great job Amairany
1. I chose the scenario “Sad Little Bird” because of the scenario, it was sad and painful to read. It showed the teachers were really annoyed that only this mother is always late. And this affects the relationship with the infant but also with the mother. It shows that the teachers did not take the time in getting to know the family and most importantly the infant. The teacher also does not bother to ask the parent if they are any issues that are affecting them and how they can help and such.
2. Let say for example this situation occurred, I would first see if the mother has always been late or it is been off recently. Then, I would call the mother or talk to the mother after she comes and picks up her child if anything has happened at home or there has been a change that could be affecting her lateness. Also, the behavior of the infant is a big indicator that something is affecting him and i would do my best to adjust to the baby’s needs and find what can help the baby become at ease.
3. Some concerns the family may have around each issue would be that they may not feel comfortable talking about their issues at home or they do not have the time to communicate with the teachers about their child
Hey Daisy, I like how you would have handled the situation. Children and their change of behavior definitely indicates something I totally agree with you. Children are always innocent and so it is really important to pay attention to them because they will always tell us things rather if it is with their behavior or any other way. Good Job :).
Definitely open my mind to new way of how to handle the situation
Hi Daisy I agree sometimes families don’t feel comfortable opening up about the situations occurring in the household.
Hi Daisy I agree sometimes families don’t feel comfortable opening up about the situations occurring in the household.
Scenario #3: “Carlos, a dad of twins is late to pick up the babies multiple times during the week. You know that Carlos is out of work. The lateness began once he lost his job”
If I was the teacher in this situation I would have a one on one conversation with Carlos. I would ask him if everything is okay and if I can help with anything. Also maybe give Carlos a phone number where we can stay in concat and let us know the days that he will be late coming to his children.
Concerns- I believe that Carlos has been going through a rough time because of losing his job and maybe he is the only one that brings income to the house. So he might have been busy trying to find another job.
Scenario #5: “The family is concerned that their toddler is not eating enough. They would like the teachers to feed the child all the food on her plate. The toddler is a normal weight and reaching all of her developmental milestones”
If I was the teacher in this situation I would have a one on one conversation with the parent. I would let the parent know that there is nothing to be concerned about as long as the child has a normal weight for her age and has been reaching all her development milestones which she is. If that stops happening then I as a teacher will step up and continue to take more steps on what’s best for the child’s health.
Concerns- I don’t think there is any concern. Parents simply like seeing their kids eat, I know in my culture and many more parents always want their children to finish their plates however that might not be the case with all children, some eat more some less. As long as they are healthy and their development is progressing their should be no worries/ concerns.
I like the way you organized your thoughts and the way you wrote your answer
The scenario that i chose was Sad Little Bird because I felt more emotions within the story. Within the story it shows that the teacher didn’t even bother to ask the parent If everything was okay with her life. The teacher never took the time to understand the life of the child and of the mom (parent). It shows that the teacher was not doing the best at trying to build a relationship with the mom. with building a relationship comes good communication skills. Communication skills is key.
If I were in this situation and was one of the teachers I would definitely ask the parent if she needed anything and I would assure her that I am here to help her through her problems if there is anything that I could do. I would make sure to let the mother know that although I am here to be a supportive caregiver there is also a consequence for being extra late multiple times.
Some concerns the family may have around each issue would be trusting others with their personal information. its hard for people to open to other people that they may barely even know.
Agree with what you said about looking at trends if Emmal has always been late in the pass
The scenario I choose is the Sad Little Bird. I choose this scenario because it shows every thing I wouldn’t do as a teacher to communicate with the family.
If I was the teacher in this scenario I would have ask to set up a meeting with Emmal’s mother. Ask what is going on in her home life. Find out why Emmal is late being picked up and dropped off for school. That way they can figure out ways to improve thing and the mother can feel support she needs.
Concerns- The staff shouldn’t have called Emmal’s mother to tell her what they did, things have time and place. The first teacher should have not lied to the mother about how her child is adjusting.
Hi Daisy I agree sometimes families don’t feel comfortable opening up about the situations occurring in the household.
I choose scenario Sad Little Bird because the title intrigued me.
What I would say to the family is what can I help you with?. And may I ask why you are always late to drop off Emmal. Then I’d expect Emmal’s mother to answer and explain to me her situation. In which I would suggest us to make a plan so her day can be less extenuating.
The mother may be embarrassed to let anyone know that her son’s father left her. Also that her car broke down and she hasn’t been able to fix it. She may not want to feel pity of her situation about taking Emmal everywhere on the bus. She as a single mother may be feeling overwhelmed with everything and is afraid to ask for help because she might be judged by anyone who finds out what her situation is.
Ana, I like how you handle the situation. Pressurizing the mother in any way does not help her or the child.
The scenario i chose was “Sad little bird”. I chose this scenario because it seemed like it was going to be interesting and it was. If I was the teacher in this situation I would offer the family help and also will ask the family whats going on at home. I would also try to make the mom feel comfortable rather than just bashing the mom. I would also try to understand the mom part and try to give her advice.I would also try to request meetings with the mom either through phone or email to give her an update on how Emmal is doing.The family may feel overwhelmed and tired because she is doing everything on her own with no help.
I chose this scenario because I could sympathize more with it. As a teacher, I would not get upset at the mother as to why she promises to come early and never does. If this issue has been repetitive and the program has problems dealing with it, then as a teacher and a women, I would ask the mother about the difficulty she is facing. I would be more considerate because she has no help and she has to balance her work and home life together, keeping in mind that her son is very small. I feel that communicating with the mother is important as she has a reason why she is always late in sending her son to the program. Also, I would try and schedule a fixed drop and pick up time so that others do not face issues and questions the mother every single time. Overall, I think in this scenario, others did not really understand the mother, moreover they didn’t even try to. The mother might have gotten overwhelmed with everything going on in her life that, she got la little lost. Communication is an important to key to understand the other’s point of view as well.
I reviewed this module
Scenario 1 Sad Little Bird, I chose this because it’s relatable there’s a lot of mother’s that are by themselves working while trying to provide for their families. As a profesional you have to be patient with the child comfort the child when the mother leaves and make sure the child is comfortable. The concerns the family might have is that the child is not comfortable and just cries the whole time.
Module closed