Reflective Supervision – An Asset from the Director’s Point of View

Reflective Supervision – An Asset from the Director’s Point of View

Why make the time to meet with each teacher individually?

Time, the resource early childhood directors run out of more quickly than money. It seems there are not enough hours in the day to complete all the administrative tasks, engage in authentic communication moments with families, be a presence in each classroom, and still make time to meet with each teacher individually.

Yet there are so many reasons why planned individual interactions with teachers must be prioritized in a high-quality early childhood education program.  Here are a few:

1. Just as each child is an individual on their own unique learning trajectory, so too is each teacher. As educators, we seek to make a zone of proximal development for every staff person to support them as they increase their classroom skills and personal growth. Creating a shared vision of goals is the first step toward success.
2. Teachers who experience a trusting relationship have the emotional fulfillment necessary to meet the needs of the children in their classroom. Making the time to have conversations, and holding that time as sacred, is the means to building trusting relationships with staff members.  
3. Challenging situations and conflicts among staff members or within a classroom setting do not decrease on their own. Change is more likely to occur when small adjustments are made at regular intervals. This approach also minimizes the potential for the huge blow-ups that come from repeated frustrations left unaddressed.
4. Regularly scheduled conversations provide directors with better insight into the dynamic within a teaching team. Tweaks and modifications made along the way provide the support for co-teachers to bring their best selves to the classroom. They also provide the much-needed venting zone to manage – and normalize – the frustrations inherent in an on-going relationship. However, the conversations should not be filled with complaining but used as an opportunity to problem solve together.
5. Reflective supervision is a window to the parts of the school the director does not get to see. Once built, an on-going relationship becomes an opportunity for staff to share observations about the program. Many of the best modifications we have made to our programs have been the outgrowth of an honest conversation with a staff member.
6. Teachers need to know they have the support of the director and that they can turn to the director for help whenever needed.  No one is in this alone.
7. Most importantly, reflective supervision is a chance for the director to grow. Reflective supervision provides time, space, and guidance for teachers (and directors) to examine their own thoughts and beliefs about children, families, and education.  The opportunity to look inward allows for deeper personal growth.

While finding the time for reflective supervision is an article in its own right, we cannot end this without sharing a few ideas to get started. The ways to create time are as varied as the structures of early childhood programs. The key to success is directors scheduling in time to supervise staff with sacred respect. Ideally, supervision time is built into staff contracts, with 5-10 hours per year added to existing responsibilities.  Supervision time might include half hour windows either before and after a standard school day, meetings during rest/nap times, utilizing a floating teacher a few times per month to cover teachers, or combining classrooms for outdoor play allowing for multiple teachers to rotate through time to meet.  As Directors, we find time to meet with a rabbi, lay leaders, and parents. Let's give our staff the same respect and hold these times sacred.

Fern Katz
Early Childhood Education Director
Sinai Preschool
Chicago Sinai Congregation

Susie Wexler
Director
Early Childhood Program at the Chava Center Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim
Deerfield, IL