Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/helping-teachers-understand-their-role-in-supporting-peer-relationships/5009564/
On the surface, providing before- and afterschool child care may seem simple to the untrained eye. But in fact, it is probably one of the more complex jobs in our field. Child care teachers of any age group will tell you that transition routines and group activities are perhaps the hardest aspect of their job. They take an emotional toll on children and adults alike, often bringing out the least pleasant side of everyone.Multiple transitions are the context of programming for school age child care, but few grasp the significance of this when they enter this work. Rather, they see themselves as teachers or recreational leaders with their own agendas to pursue. They have programs for what they want the children to do and how children need to behave. Only a small number understand the goal of their work as helping children through the many stressful transitions of their day and fostering peer relationships. What kind of training will foster dispositions and skills in teachers to support stress reduction, mental health, and socially meaningful relationships among school age children?
Strategy: Childhood Memories
Childhood memory training strategies are especially effective for school age providers because the youngest ...