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Natural Learning Blog

http://www.naturallearning.net.au

Educators feeling understaffed, unsupported, and unheard.

3/22/2022

8 Comments

 
I am concerned about educators, children, and families. I am concerned about educator burnout. I am concerned about children not getting the education and care they deserve. I am concerned that families are not finding suitable care and education for their child. I am concerned that our sector is in crisis and the human cost is huge. I am CONCERNED.
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What is happening? Why are so many educators struggling? Every day I hear about educators struggling with the workload, the children, the hours, the ratios and so much more. Digging deeper, some of the biggest issues are:

  • Documentation and Programming. The expectation of too much documentation, too many observations and reflections and not enough non-contact time.
  • Children’s Behaviour. Educators feel children’s behaviour has become more challenging and they are needing more educators in the rooms. That current ratios are not meeting their needs or the needs of the children.
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There is absolutely no doubt that everyone has been negatively affected by the current pandemic. The uncertainty, the changes, the lack of control, the fear, the restrictions, the negative news, and the fact that this has been constant over the past 2 years has ground everyone down. In addition, many parts of Australia then had catastrophic flooding with many ECEC services severely affected. How do you pick yourself up with a smile again, and again, and again? The sector was already struggling and have had to manage the additional challenges. We can see why this is a profession in crisis. 
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Some solutions are immediate short-term solutions, what we need are solutions that are long term, solutions that become embedded in ECEC culture and practice. We need solutions that initially nurture and support while building knowledge, expertise and most important, resilience, in educators and children. Increasing resilience will enable all to cope, manage, accept, and even thrive with challenges. 
 
Back to basics.
Services have a duty of care towards their educators as well as the children. If the level of expected documentation is causing or contributing to feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious, stressed and depressed, it is time for change, time for looking at other ways of working to reduce pressure while maintaining high quality. If children’s behaviours are challenging educators, it is time to explore why children are displaying such behaviours and ways of supporting the children and the educators to ensure best outcomes for both.  It is time for critical reflection.   
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Did you know that there are no legal requirements
  • stipulating the number, length, format etc of documentation? 
  • for educators to ‘do’ documentation only in their limited non-contact time?
Educators and individual services are free to document in a way that works for them and their community. 
 
Did you know that
  • young children do not ‘choose’ to be ‘naughty’?
  • all behaviours are communication?
  • many behaviours seen as challenging are developmentally appropriate behaviours?
  • children who are bored, scared, uncertain, uncomfortable, tired, hungry, shy, traumatised, stressed, depressed, misunderstood as well as children who lack communication skills, have sensory processing issues, have ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia, lack connection may all display behaviours that challenge us. It is our duty as professionals working in a team to respond appropriately and ensure that all needs are provided for. 
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​What next? 
  • Reflect on current practice and expectations.
  • Explore regulations to be confident with what is required.
  • Seek up to date professional learning, advice, consultation, mentoring, literature. 
  •  BE BRAVE
  • Change practice.
 
Niki Buchan offers a range of professional learning opportunities including face to face, live online and recorded webinars and E-courses on a range of relevant subjects
 
‘Australian Learning Tracks’ documentation framework is a simple, practical, meaningful way of documenting and programming that is proven, popular and beneficial to educators, children, and families. Available as an E-course for individuals and groups on a price sliding scale as well as an in-person course presented by Niki in your setting.
 
‘Behaviours that Challenge Educators’ is available as an E-course, individual recorded webinars or as an in-person course presented by Niki in your setting.
Australian Learning Tracks E-course
Challenging Behaviours E-course
CONTACT NIKI BUCHAN
8 Comments
Carol Shipard
3/23/2022 06:37:18 am

You have nailed it! Thank you for putting into words what I would have said if I wasn't too busy making adjustments and annotations in my digital program to tick boxes drawn by a non-educator.

It's almost time to get out...if it wasn't for the students, I'd already be gone. Our short people have a way of getting under your skin, and you never want to leave them.

Reply
Niki link
3/26/2022 08:23:36 pm

And that is why many dedicated educators are staying, for the children! Circumstances are not great for educators or for children. We need change for everyone so that educators and children can benefit. We need educators and parents to stand together.
Thank you for your comment, warm regards, Niki

Reply
Debbie
3/25/2022 07:56:58 pm

Well said. I could of written this well worded statement myself nearly word for word. I have been in this industry for 27 years and have left twice but return because I have always wanted to make a difference to little ones lives stuck in long day care all day everyday. What quality time do we really give them after documentation, programs, cleaning etc etc. I am exhausted and at this time around disappointment in how most companies only care about the dollar bums on seats and lack of duty of care for all involved. Thanks for expressing how most of us are feeling.

Reply
Niki link
3/26/2022 08:28:33 pm

Thank you for your comments and for your passion in doing the best for our little children. We need educators and parents to push for better conditions for their children and their children's educators. Children deserve quality time and educators need to be allowed to prioritise this and not be stuck doing documentation etc that is not a legal requirement or deep cleaning.
Warm regards
Niki

Reply
Tracy
3/27/2022 10:09:16 pm

I am an educator of 30 years. So much has changed in this time and I can say not for the better. It used to be about play being with the children teaching engagement nurturing. We have lost sight of this and it's now what can we visually show the assessor's, parents, what makes a service look good on paper. It is not for the better the burn put is high, the stress immense and both educators and children suffer....what fir an extra checklist and extra story that most times is not even acknowledged 🥲

Reply
Niki link
3/27/2022 10:29:44 pm

I agree Tracy, we seem to have lost the purpose and direction of working with this extraordinary age group. Some of the additional work is 'self inflicted' such as this unnecessary idea that we need to send photographs and updates of the children to parents during the day. Why? If all the services went back to basics, looked at what is really required, it will reduce pressure on educators and allow more time to be with the children.

Reply
Victoria Edmond link
3/28/2022 07:14:51 am

I absolutely agree. I think what the pandemic has forced, is the need for us to slow down and find the simplicity in our work.
Management needs to listen to staff. Not create these complex and convoluted programming systems.
I was talking with an fdc educator last week who was doing a tremendous amount of documentation. Like folders and folders. I asked if her coordinator even reads it. She said the coordinator who was enforcing it, flicked through and commented on the pictures. She didn't even read the obs.
This needs to shift. And educators need to empower themselves to stand up and ask the questions!
They need to step back and allow the children the time and space to play. Less doing on the educators behalf.

Reply
Niki link
3/28/2022 10:22:24 am

Thank you Victoria, you have summed it up beautifully, "This needs to shift. Educators need to empower themselves to stand up and ask questions"

I believe the role of the educator is to be in the moment with the children, to professionally observe, to really listen to the 100 languages, to reflect and analyse so that they best understand the children and their play. They can then better plan and provide what the children need. I see far too many educators with tick lists and boxes which are not meaningful or professional in my opinion.

When educators are cleaning, writing up another incident report, walking around with iPads photographing to tick boxes, in my professional opinion they are not 'with' the children, in tune and receptive. Should they even be counted in the ratios?

Things have to change for the health and well-being of both the educators and the children. We need to go back to what is really important. The regulations are our friend, see what it says and educators will find that most of the so called 'requirements' are myths.

Reply



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  • Home
  • About Us
  • OUR ONLINE STORE
    • GIFT CARDS
    • DOCUMENTATION AND PROGRAMMING
    • PROFESSIONAL LEARNING >
      • REFERENCE BOOKS
      • UPCOMING EVENTS
      • ONLINE E-COURSES
      • RECORDED WEBINARS
    • RESOURCES >
      • PLAY SPACES
      • EDUCATOR RESOURCES
      • MATHS & LITERACY
      • TECHNOLOGY - Tools
      • STEM - Ropes
      • STEM - Fire with Children
      • STEM - Loose Parts
  • Training & Consultancy
    • PD Courses available
    • Consultation & Mentoring
    • Events & Interviews
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Research & Articles