Second final day!

Today I finally had all my paperwork done for my ECP1001.

Awesome! Today I was stationed at the oldest class, the Dinosaurs class. The furniture of the room had been re-arranged again, and didn't look anything at all like the past 3 weeks I was here. Even the outdoor slides and obstacle course was re-arranged, and didn't look anything at all like what I remember 3 weeks ago.

I would love to work with the infants again on Wednesday. I am going to ask the director if I could be placed there on Wednesday, since I won't be able to do that for my real pract when ECP1002 starts.

My uni professional experience liasion, Megan came today to look at my work. (I am relieved I prayed this morning!). She looked through my work, and noted some of the things in my written work.

She also noted that in observations, we have to reference our evaluations to another author. I know this, but I communicated to her that although I knew by heart, it was not stated in the ECP Study Book, so I didn't know if it was required.

As such, whatever I know to have told Belle much earlier, was right. But Belle didn't believe. It really is not my place to tell Belle everything as she would eventually learn, and she has to learn from her mistakes without my telling her.

Megan also noted that in one of the activity print-outs, that statements such as "the children really enjoyed themselves and had a great time" was not appropriate. This is as it would infer that we are assuming that the children are enjoying themselves, but we do not actually know what they are thinking, and the other is that "had a great time" was too vague a description without any concrete evidence to show what happened.

I know that in written work such as this, we are not supposed to do that, but I only wrote that as every one else had written the same thing.

Finally, I communicated with Megan the same concerns I had in regard to positive reinforcements and verbal statements to manage the children's behaviour. She stated that regardless of how other the other staff felt, if I know and have been exposed to what "constructive criticism" and how to go about it, I should stand on my ground and not follow blindly just because the rest of the brood is doing the same as well.

Which is exactly the same stand that I do not agree with "corporeal punishment". I do not agree with corporeal punishment as I feel that it had not benefitted me even when I was young, and it would not benefit children even now.

The only people I think it would benefit would be drug pushers, rapists, murderers
and drunks.

I also told Emma, the group leader of the infants class, that I was pretty concerned that there was dry pasta in the water play tub. The reason I state that is because infants are always putting things into their mouth, and in particular, the dry pasta bits can be "choking hazards", if staff is not too aware of their properties. I am not sure what she did next, but I will find out later when I come back on Wednesday.