In all the issues and challenges that face teachers, planning is an essential component. Normally, planning involves a careful balancing act between available resources and expected outcomes. The general idea is to stretch resources to their limit in order to provide the best possible instruction to children. The focus for the instant paper is children between the ages of four and five, among the youngest on formal education. Scenarios I and II deal with the availability of resources. Scenario I addresses resources for instruction while the second scenario relates to the safety of pupils, both of which are paramount. On the other and, teacher challenges may result from special needs among some of the pupils, such as those with physical or psychological or learning disabilities. Once again, the scenario involves the balancing of resources, including time. Teaching involves the making of important decisions that require planning as far as the utilization of resources is concerned.
Scenario I
Why the Scenario is Problematic
Scenario I represents some of the sacrifices that teachers make for the sake of their students. In the case, despite teaching in a private facility, I have spent personal resources to augment student studies through special experiences. At the end of my resources, I still have five uncompleted special experiences planned. The scenario is problematic because teaching is normally a series as opposed to individual events. The events planned fell into a sequence geared towards completing a specific course or syllabus. Removing five events from the course means that the children will miss the benefits of those events to the overall course. However, the scenario points out to a different problem. For the teacher to spend a vast amount of personal resources yet the course requirements remain unmet point to two possible problems. Either the teacher has a planning problem, or the school has a funding or counting problem. Either way, the scenario is detrimental to the pupils.
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Solution Plan
The solution to the problem should be multifaceted. For a start, teachers should plan their teaching programs in a manner that avoids scenarios such as the instant one. The first solution involves avoiding a repeat of the scenario in future by developing schemes of work that suit available resources. In the case of limited resources, innovation and improvisation can maximize student experience in spite of the limitation (Truong, Carlson & Kim, 2018). The second solution plan involves advocacy. The teacher should champion the needs of the students to the authorities. In the instant case, authorities are the school’s administrators and proprietors. After coming up with a cost-effective plan for student experience, the teacher should advocate for resources to facilitate the plan.
Scenario Questions
Five student experiences with no funds at all is an extreme situation due to its effect on the syllabus. I would begin by re-evaluating the planned student experience events with a view of reducing it. Through innovation and improvisation, I would try to reduce the five events into two or three, without compromising learning outcomes. Next, I would approach the school’s administration for funding to facilitate the two or three events. I would also suggest to the school’s administration that we could approach well-wishers and corporations to fund the events in exchange for some publicity.
Scenario II
Why the Scenario is Problematic
The situation in scenario two is problematic for two main reasons. For a start by their very nature, Head Start facilities struggle with resources as they handle children from economically challenged families. The government through the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 provides federal funds for such institutions (Joshi, Geronimo & Acevedo-Garcia, 2016). However, with federal funds comes a higher level of scrutiny. Hence, a scandal in such as school might jeopardize its funding. The risk to federal funds may seem like a secondary problem, but it risks the foundational education for all the children, due to their economic status.
However, the primary problem regarding the scenario is the issue of safety. Head Start centers handle children from economically challenged families. Therefore, such institutions are mostly in inner cities and low-income neighborhoods. Such areas commonly have security problems. In any learning institution, the security of students is paramount. The importance of security augments when dealing with younger children, such as four and 5-year-olds who attend Head Start institutions.
Solution Plan
The solution plan should include two main aspects. The first is an increase in funding, seeing that the school cannot afford funds for something as critical as security for the pupils. Due to the nature of the institution, the plan should involve advocacy to government agencies and private sector players. The second solution plan involves planning. The fact that the school is still running means that it has a source of funding. Proper planning will ensure that the school never lacks emergency funds to cater for necessities as critical as security. Prioritization of emergency funds means that the emergency fund never runs out of money for sensitive expenditure.
Scenario Questions
The situation defined in scenario two is an actual exigent emergency. The children cannot remain in the institution unless the problem is resolved. My role in the scenario is limited to advocacy as I am a teacher, not an administrator. The first solution would involve permanently shutting the door until the school gets funds for its repair. Because of safety issues, this is a stopgap solution viable for a few hours or a day at most. The second recommendation is placing a volunteer at the door permanently until the institution can get it repaired. A parent or relative of one of the children can play the role. Finally, due to the extreme nature of the situation, the final recommendation would be to shut down the institution until the institution can fully ensure the safety of all children. When it comes to pupils as young as 4-years old, safety should be the primary factor.
Scenario IV
Why the Scenario is Problematic
The provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantee all children a fair chance in education in spite of physical, emotional, learning or psychological challenges. Children who fall within the autism spectrum fall under the provisions of the IDEA. Such children have a right to study alongside other ordinary children. However, from a practical perspective, such children pose a major challenge for the teacher. For a start depending on the nature and extent of the autism, the child may pose an active danger to itself or other children (Gunn & Delafield-Butt, 2016). Secondly, the child will require extra attention, assistance, and resources to study effectively. In most classrooms, operate with limited resources in terms of teachers and learning material. Giving extra resources to the autistic child will disadvantage the rest of the class. However, providing equal resources to all students will jeopardize chances for learning for autistic children. This need for balance complicates the instant scenario.
Solution Plan
The solution plan in the instant case has two main angles. The first angle involves understanding the scope of the child’s learning limitations. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) varies exponentially between children (Gunn & Delafield-Butt, 2016). Some children may be easily manageable and can learn with limited extra attention. On the other extreme, autistic children can be violent and incapable of learning without close attention and supervision. It is important for the teacher to understand where the student lies between the two extremes. The second plan relies on the outcome of the investigation. Based on the nature of the child’s handicap, the teacher will develop a management strategy. The strategy will include the extra resources necessary to handle the autistic child without inordinately inconveniencing the other learners.
Scenario Questions
The first step establishing how to handle the student is through an investigation to understand the child’s situation. I would speak to the child’s guardian and if possible the practitioner handling the child. This process would enable me to understand the limitations and extremities of the child. Understanding the child would enable me develop a strategy for managing the child (Gunn & Delafield-Butt, 2016). The possible ways of assisting the child begin with the mother. Where possible, the child’s mother should be involved in the learning of the child, including joining the child in class. If the mother is not available, the school or parent can hire a special assistant for the child. The second approach involves availing extra-learning time for the child, in order to keep up with the rest of the class. Finally, I would develop a behavior plan with the help of an expert such as a psychologist (Gunn & Delafield-Butt, 2016). The plan enables teaching to fall within the behavior patterns of the child to avoid overloads and extreme behavior.
Conclusion
In spite of the challenges outlined above, teaching is one of the most interesting, rewarding and satisfying jobs in the world. The challenges are an essential part of the job and teachers should be able to make complex decisions while still handling students. Among the challenges addressed above is the issue of resources including money and labor. Planning is essential to any potential solution to these challenges. Planning includes applying innovation and improvisation to stretch available resources. Further, planning involves advocacy and clamoring for more resources to enable effective teaching of students. Finally, planning also involves prioritization so that critical issues such as safety emergency do not lack funding. Planning is also essential when dealing with children with handicaps. A good strategic plan enables balancing the needs of the handicapped children with those of the rest of the class.
References
Gunn, K. C., & Delafield-Butt, J. T. (2016). Teaching children with autism spectrum disorder with restricted interests: A review of evidence for best practice. Review of Educational Research , 86 (2), 408-430.
Joshi, P., Geronimo, K., & Acevedo-Garcia, D. (2016). Head Start since the War on Poverty: Taking on New Challenges to Address Persistent School Readiness Gaps. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk , 7 (1), 11.
Truong, F. R., Carlson, A. G., & Kim, H. (2018, April 13). Teaching preschoolers learning strategies: 'What' meets 'how'. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/04/13/teaching-preschoolers-learning-strategies-what-meets-how/ .
