Patience. An absolute necessity when working with children, especially children under the age of 4.
Alex Little, senior in interdisciplinary studies, spends her Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Auburn University Early Learning Center. She said patience is key.
“Kids respond better to positive feedback, so we learn to phrase things like, ‘Thank you for washing your hands,’” Little said. “But somedays it’s hard to not want to yell, ‘Stop pulling my hair.’”
Sharon Wilbanks, director of the Auburn University Early Learning Center, said there is no such thing as a normal day when working with children.
“I get here between 7:45 and 8 a.m.,” Wilbanks said. “Some days I take care of emails in the morning and then check the observation booth, and then maybe meet with parents or teachers.”
The observation booth is a room where the children play that is set up so they cannot see out of it, but observers can see inside.
Wilbanks said it is nice for her to observe the student teachers applying what they learned in their classes to the children.
“The kinesiology students sometimes come and apply what they’ve learned, human development and family studies as well, and the education students can teach math or literature classes,” Wilbanks said.
Little said each day the children are allowed to first pick what “stations” they would like to play with, while she follows them around to see where she can interact.
“I get to build relationships with the kids,” Little said. “I want to be a teacher, and this is helping me learn how to deal with difficult situations. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that children respond better to choices. So instead of saying, ‘Don’t run inside,’ I would tell them inside is for walking, but they can run outside.”
Margaret Vollenweider, lead teacher in the 4-year-old class, has short, but slightly chaotic days ending at noon.
“‘Have an open mind’ would be our mantra,” Vollenweider said. “In the mornings, we play at stations, then we have group time, then read stories, play games, and then if it isn’t raining we go outside before snack.”
Vollenweider believes she has the “best job in the world,” and it is rewarding to watch both the children and students grow.
“Working here really solidifies what the students learn in the classrooms,” Vollenweider said. “The different guidance principles — you have to practice those in a real world environment because the responses from children are different. Everyone thinks they’re a parent until they are one.”
Little said she rarely has bad days, but the ones that are tough make the good days all the better.
“There was this one kid who couldn’t remember my name for months, and then one day she walked in and said, ‘Hey, Ms. Alex,’” Little said. “That was a good day.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
