Think back to a time when a simple lapse in attention could have led to dire consequences. That's a scenario no one in childcare should ever face, yet it's what we tackle head-on in our latest episode, where the disturbing trend of children being neglected in educational settings is brought into the spotlight.
We dissect the critical need for strict attendance and punctuality policies, a reflection of our unwavering commitment to discipline and respect within our ranks. I break down the nuts and bolts of how these policies are implemented and the uncompromising stance we take towards any infringements, sending a clear message about the non-negotiable priority of attendance
Think back to a time when a simple lapse in attention could have led to dire consequences. That's a scenario no one in childcare should ever face, yet it's what we tackle head-on in our latest episode, where the disturbing trend of children being neglected in educational settings is brought into the spotlight.
We dissect the critical need for strict attendance and punctuality policies, a reflection of our unwavering commitment to discipline and respect within our ranks. I break down the nuts and bolts of how these policies are implemented and the uncompromising stance we take towards any infringements, sending a clear message about the non-negotiable priority of attendance
Welcome to Stumbling Through Work where educators figure shit out. I'm your host, jarek Huff, and I'm here to explore and share the complexities of our work and let you know you are not alone. Before we start, though, please follow this podcast and share episodes with others. You can find me on my website, wwwjerekhuffcom, where you can find links to my social media and where I share information and tips for educators. Now let's jump into today's episode. Hey team, welcome to another episode of Stumbling Through Work where educators figure shit out.
Speaker 1:
In my career, I have never understood how you can leave a child unattended. I don't understand how you can leave a child in a classroom by themselves, how you can leave them on the playground, leave them in the restroom, in the hallway. I don't understand it and I never will. Now knock on wood. I haven't had to deal with this with a staff member in a while, as far as I know, unless someone's covering up for somebody, but I don't understand how you do that. Like these are human beings, how are you leaving them behind? I just don't get it, and the reason why I'm bringing this up is a couple of years ago, I had a teacher. I was going through one of my notebooks and I came across this and I said I have to share this, I have to share this with the team. A couple of years ago this, I have to share this with the team A couple of years ago I had a teacher who did this. Now here's the thing A teacher. Well, let me figure out where it even starts the story from. Okay, I started from my perspective. So I'm sitting in my office and my assistant director comes in and brings it, has a child with her and she goes so-and-so, left the child outside. Now, the child wasn't outside by themselves, they were left with another teacher, they were in another class, like it was two classes outside. The teacher left, didn't do a face-to-name when she left, and if you don't know what a face-to-name is, that's when you look at your roster. You say the child's name on the roster and then you have each of them come in. That way you don't forget someone. So she obviously didn't do a face to name. So she went inside and left a kid outside with another teacher in the class. So she brought the child in and I was like, oh, okay. Now this is where it gets even more strange. So she brings the child in and I say, okay, well, we need to of course, write her up. Have this awkward conversation about losing a kid? Well, we need to, of course, write her up. Have this awkward conversation about losing a kid.
Speaker 1:
So my assistant director goes to find the teacher. She goes okay, once again I got to tell from my perspective. So a teacher comes in not that teacher, but another teacher comes in the classroom and says, hey, here's a child left in that teacher's classroom. I'm like what the hell is going on? And she says I was walking by the room and I seen the child in the classroom by themselves. So I grabbed the child and I'm bringing them to you. So I'm like, okay, thank you. And I'm thinking but my assistant director is out looking for her right now. So maybe about three minutes later, because I'm so confused Now, let's just be. I have two children sitting with me.
Speaker 1:
The assistant director comes back. She found another teacher to step in, for that teacher to come to my office, and she comes in and she goes oh, that's where so-and-so is and that's where so-and-so is. Wait, what? So my assistant director takes the kids back to their classroom. She comes back and I'm just like okay, explain to me what happened like I don't understand. Y'all team. This is what she said. I was out on the playground and we were coming in. So I get in my classroom and then I look at my roster and I realize I left so-and-so outside. So I take the class to go back to get the child and then, when I leave to go get the child that I left outside, I left another child, y'all. I am much better at my faces than I used to be seven, eight years ago, so I know I made a face and at that time I said, okay, just go back to class, because I didn't have anything else to say. How do you lose a child, go back to find a child and then lose a child in the process? I'm like, what kind of idiots do we have working for us? And of course, I was working for a corporation, so it was not a simple fire, as I wanted to fire her. It was, oh, you got to do a write-up and all this BS. But I seen that in a notebook the other day and I was like I got to tell people this story because this was stupid.
Speaker 1:
The thing for me is, if you leave a child and I tell anyone that works for me, if you leave a child unattended, that is automatic firing. You are done, it's a wrap. This is a human being you left behind. You don't know what could happen to that child. You don't know what they could consume. You don't know what they can do. They can hurt themselves. They can't, you know, fend for themselves. Yes, you are on campus. You can hurt themselves. They can't, you know, fend for themselves. Yes, you are on campus, you are still within our grounds and we're fenced in and all that stuff. But that's still not the point. What if you trip and break your arm or who knows what? That says to me that your priorities are not in the right place and you are gone. You gots to go.
Speaker 1:
But for me, the worst part of it is I always call the family to let them know that a child was left unattended, that their child was left unattended. That is the most uncomfortable conversation anyone can have with the family member. I try to say it in a way where it's not urgent and then I always give them the follow up like just so you know. You know we're recoaching so and so we're working with them or they're no longer with us. This depends on the situation. That is an awkward phone call. It's awkward for the person that has to make it and it's damn sure uncomfortable for the family to feel like you left their child behind. And it's damn sure uncomfortable for the family to feel like you left their child behind. And then, on top of it, then I have to report it to child care licensing, which is even more embarrassing because now I have to let them know that so-and-so left a child. And then I hate doing unnecessary paperwork.
Speaker 1:
So I got to document all of this and they're like so what was the ratio at the time? What was the supervision? Where were you going? How did it happen? What were the statements? I don't feel like doing all this work. Stop messing up on your job. That I have to see that person awkward. Then, when you have to see that person meaning the family then when you have to see them the next day, all I can think about in my mind is I know so and so was. Like you lost my kid the other day. How do you put confidence in a family member when you've lost their child and then that child has to go back to that teacher the next day If you work in a place where you just can't fire them immediately, like if you work in a corporation.
Speaker 1:
I just I don't understand how that happens and, like I said, knock on wood, hasn't happened to me Nothing that I had to deal with in the last several years, so I'm really thankful for that. But I don't understand how you just leave a child, like it just doesn't make sense to me. It feels so heartless and it just feels like there's a disregard, you know, for a human life, because we work with people, not papers. You can lose a sheet of paper. You can leave paper on your desk. We work with people. You can't leave people on your desk. You can't just leave people behind, like it just doesn't make sense. And if I can't trust you with the main thing you're here for, which is to care for these children, how can I trust you with anything else? I'm sorry you got to get off my team, you gots to go, but if you know someone that needs to hear this, send this message to them. Let them know that either they ass need to go or you need to get rid of somebody. That simple and we'll be right back.
Speaker 1:
We all want our schools or programs to be the best and, although every school is different. All successful programs have the same fundamentals. Best practices for high quality preschool, afterschool and enrichment programs by Jarek Huff share standards to foster a high quality program. These tips will help you put your best service forward, focusing on your children, families and communities. Best Practices for High Quality Preschool, afterschool and Enrichment Programs by Jarek Huff is available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle.
Speaker 1:
Attendance and punctuality. I'm old school so I have that mentality of to be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late and to be late you are gone. That's what they told us when I was in ninth grade at band camp when we went to lunch for the first time during band camp that Monday. To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late and to be late you are gone. But you know I'm a little old, but you know you should have some form of a policy to address attendance and punctuality, because those are two different things being punctual, meaning that you're coming back on time, you're coming to work on time and if you're coming back from a lunch or break, whatever it may be, that you are where you need to be at that designated time. And the fact that you are actually attending work, making sure that you're actually coming to work Two different things.
Speaker 1:
And within that policy it should address you know what an absence is Like, what constitutes an absence? Or is it a full day absence? Can they be considered a half day absence? You got to kind of figure that out. And what is within that absence? What is the call off policy? Is there a certain time that you have to call before your shift starts? It is disrespectful to me to know that I'm going to be out the next day and I don't say anything until five minutes before my shift. Where do they do that at? Obviously, where you work at, because people find that it's acceptable to do that. No, there needs to be at least a two hour policy.
Speaker 1:
And for me because, like I said, I'm old school For me, if you don't call, or you call me five minutes late, you might as well not even call, because I didn't root you off, just like even you know it's a thing now where people just feel like I'm going to go to work, I'm not, I'm not going to let you know. Cool, when it comes to me, don't bring your ass back. I tell my staff if somebody doesn't show up for their shift, do not call them. They are a whole adult. They know where they have to be. They have a phone. They can text. If your phone is off, you can get on somebody's Wi-Fi. You can send somebody's email. I don't care, you can send me Morse code and smoke signal, for all I care. Find a way to get in contact with me, because you found a way to get that door dash to your house Now, didn't you?
Speaker 1:
I'm just saying do not call them at all for two reasons. One, it makes you look desperate. I'm not calling you and then saying where are you at, where are you? A whole adult. And it makes it look like I need you. One I don't't need anybody, so don't even get that in your head. And I had someone said that to me once. They called and they were like oh, I'm running late. And I said, oh, okay, well, her five to ten minutes running late turned into 30, 45 minutes. So when she got there, I was like I don't even need you. Y'all know. She looked at me and was like oh, yes, you do. Because we don't have enough people, shit, you could take yourself home. Because I don't have enough people, shit you can take yourself home because I don't need you. Let me let this be known immediately I don't need you. I'm good, I'd rather suffer. I don't need you. So I never let people think that I need them.
Speaker 1:
But also, too, especially if it's someone that you're probably trying to get rid of, you can document that as a no call, no show, like it's a job abandonment. So when it comes to something like unemployment, something of that nature, you actually have it documented that that person did a no call, no show or they abandoned their job and document it and keep it pushing. But if you make contact with them, it's no longer abandonment, because now you've had a conversation with them and now you've where are you at? What's going on? I'm not doing any of that. Like I said, they grown, they know what they're doing, even within absences.
Speaker 1:
Not being there is not being there. Like I don't understand an excused absence, a not excused absence. This shit doesn't make sense to me Because whether it's excused or unexcused, whatever it is, you're still not there. I don't get it. Maybe somebody can one of you all, maybe can explain it to me, but you're not there. This is not elementary school, where it's excused and it's not, you're just not there.
Speaker 1:
And then, with the punctuality part, you know how many times can you be tardy? What does that policy look like? Is being tardy from you know, coming into your shift different than coming back from lunch or coming back from a break? What do those things look like? Even with doctor notes? To me I don't really care. I mean, to me I only ask for a doctor's note if you've been out for several days and if you're like, oh, I'm sick, well, if you're that sick to be out, then bring me a note back. But usually you're not there, so who cares? I mean, you're not really there, but make sure that you do have an attendance and tardy policy for your schools so that it's clear, everyone knows and no one can say nobody told me or it wasn't explained to me. If it's a policy and it's written in your handbook, it is there because policy is policy and it should never change, because policy is policy and it should never change.
Speaker 1:
I love sharing information with educators and program administrators. I have had so many successes, but also so many failures in my education tenure. I want leaders to know what not to do, but, better than that, what to do. So I decided to write a helpful guide Best Practices for Center Program and Activity Directors. It's short and to the point. It's a compass to guide education leaders. These best practices will give you a foundation to lead your school program or organization. You can find best practices for center program and activity directors by Jared Huff on Amazon or Amazon Kindle.
Speaker 1:
This week I want you all to have an amazing week. Make sure that you have your policies for attendance and tardiness and make sure you are actually implementing those so everyone knows exactly what they are. And please do not leave a child behind. And on that note, we'll see you later. That's it for today. If you like this episode, it would mean so much to me if you left a rating review and subscribe to the show. I'd love to hear from you. You can visit my website, which is in the show notes, to contact me, and I hope you have a great rest of your week and speak to you all soon.