Ask The Preschool Teacher: Question 85

3/22/01 Question 85

Dear Preschool Teacher,
What do you do about a director that is so controlling. I don't feel like my class is my own?
Darned if I do , darned if I don't

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
The best way to get around your situation is to confront your director. Be honest with him or her and let them know how you are feeling. Tell them some of your idea's and how you would like to run the classroom. Confronting someone is a hard task especially when that someone is your director. You must deal with this situation before it becomes to overwhelming for you to handle. Remember honesty is the best policy!
Good luck!
Steph
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
Have you tried talking to your director letting her know what you're frustrated about? If you have talked to him/her and haven't been able to resolve this problem, is there a school board you can go to? Hopefully be talking to her and explaining how you feel, you will be able to work this out with him/her.
Peg
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
Have you tried talking to him/her? Maybe if you made up your lesson plans in great detail and show them to her well before they are going to be taught.
This might show her that you are well organized and have thought out your
lessons plans in detail.
Lynn
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
Is your Director like this in all situations? Maybe he/she is one of those people who feels that he/she has to be a part of everything or things will fall apart. If you haven't talked to him/her yet, you need to. Tell her how much you appreciate her help and guidance, but you have some good ideas yourself
and tell him/her about them! Tell him/her your plans and your goals. Show him/her your enthusiasm and excitement about your plans, your job, and the children.
Good Luck!
Jan
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
     This is tough, but you don't give much information about what is happening. Does your director check your lesson plans? If not, perhaps you should have him/her do that so he/she knows what you are doing. Does he/she have specific suggestions? If he/she tends to interrupt your class time, perhaps you should ask to make an appointment with him/her to discuss what he/she would like.
    If he/she is not supportive at all, this would be extremely frustrating for you, and perhaps you should look for employment elsewhere. I know that this would be a big step. Do other teachers feel the same? Perhaps you could get suggestions from them.
    This is hard to answer with specifics. I hope this helps.
Kris
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
Perhaps at the beginning of the week you can review your plans with your director and ask at that time if he/she has anything to add or suggest. I might even go so far to ask him/her to sign your approved plan. Then, if you feel he/she is
interfering in your classroom you can tell him/her that you are following the agreed upon plan. I would certainly tell him/her which of his/her actions are upsetting you, perhaps he/she does not realize what he/she is doing??? Also, are there other
teachers who feel the same as you do? Perhaps you can meet with the director together to discuss classroom responsibilities and boundaries.
Good luck!
Shelley
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"

Dear Darned if I do , darned if I don't,
There isn't much you can do about a director who is controlling. The best advice I can give you is to look for another job. It is the director's loss if she doesn't let her staff do what she hired them to do!
Jackie
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"