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“Teacher collaboration might influence efficacy beliefs by creating a climate that legitimates help seeking, joint problem solving and instructional experimentation”.

- (Tshannen-Moran & Barr, 2004) Tschannen-Moran, M.,& Barr, M. (2004). Fostering student learning: the relationship of collective teacher efficacy and student achievement. Leadership and Policy in Schools (3), 3, 2004.

With a positive relationship between Teacher and ECE, positive collaboration is present which increases classroom efficiency. It is evident that this can lead to an environment in which students feel comfortable in seeking help, problem solve, and continuously explore and remain curious as it is is being modelled by their teachers and eventually mirrored by them.

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Every educator should feel he or she belongs, is a valuable contributor, and deserves the opportunity to engage in meaningful work.

The Kindergarten Program (2016), p. 10 (Kindergarten Program 2016, Ontario Ministry of Education, (2016), Retrieved from:https://files.ontario.ca/books/kindergarten-program-en.pdf?_ga=1.53417768.1876934883.1470077034)

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As a team, there is the need for compromise, as well as a lot of support, understanding, and complimentary skills. With the combination of an OCT and an ECE, their classroom is thriving.

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I found these findings interesting as they greatly exemplify the unfortunate hierarchal presence that many ECEs and teachers feel present within the classroom. Evidently, one half of the team feels as if they have more or less authority which can bring about a power struggle and imbalance into the classroom. It is important for mutual understanding and respect to be present for the FDK teams to feel equal with each other as the importance of both of their roles is vital within the classroom. With equality and a mutual grounds of duties, authority, and respect, and FDK team can run a lot smoother which will help to foster the relationships on the team and with the students within the class.

Source: Gibson, A., Pelletier, D., & Jackman, D. (2011). Can we work together? Preliminary findings from an examination of ECE and teacher dynamics in full-day early learning-kindergarten. Retrieved from https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/Events/2011-06-01%20-%20Summer%20Institute/SI2011_Poster_ECEandKteacher.pdf

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Who Are We?

Designated early childhood educators working in FDEL-K classrooms must be registered with the College of Early Childhood Educators. They must have completed at least a 2-year collegediploma in Early Childhood Education; however, many also hold bachelor’s degrees in childstudy, psychology and other fields related to child development. Early childhood educators are governed under the Early Childhood Educators Act.

Kindergarten teachers are registered with the Ontario College of Teachers. Primary/junior certifications enable teachers to teach all of the grades from JK to Grade 6. All teachers must have a minimum of a 3-year post-secondary degree, in addition to a teaching certificate obtained from completing at least one year of study in a faculty of education. Teachers are governed under the Education Act.

Source:  Gibson, A., Pelletier, D., & Jackman, D. (2011). Can we work together? Preliminary findings from an examination of ECE and teacher dynamics in full-day early learning-kindergarten. Retrieved from https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/atkinson/UserFiles/File/Events/2011-06-01%20-%20Summer%20Institute/SI2011_Poster_ECEandKteacher.pdf

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This resources offers supports on how to;

- Build the team relationship

- Continuously communicate

- Be reasonable

- How to deal if problems arise

- Additional supports for the team

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From personal experiences...

Personally, I believe the relationship between the RECE and the Teacher is crucial to the success of the classroom as a whole and all of its working parts including academic, personal, and overall success for both the students and teachers. In my own experiences, I have witnesses Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) classrooms that had a great relationship between the team, and then other experiences in which the complete opposite was present. In this post, I will explain my observations, thoughts, and feelings I have about the relationships between the FDK team and the effects it had on the overall time I had spent with the team and students.

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP

I was once a part of a FDK classroom through a placement in which the Teacher and the RECE had the most amazing relationship. They worked together flawlessly, collaboratively, and in support of each other and the students. They shared a common understanding and recognition of each other’s importance and the importance of the well-being of their students. There was no clear distinguished separation between the two of them, and worked together with a growth mindset. This is something that is not only important as a student, but also as a teacher. In their classroom, as crazy as FDK can become, things flowed so smoothly and it was obvious that the students felt the positivity from their educators. The positive relationship between the teacher and RECE was reflected through to their students as they were able to create supportive and open relationships that could benefit the class, as well as the individual and unique students. They classroom was structured by the duo that allowed them to offer the best of themselves to their students to help them consistently discover, learn, grow, all while feeling comfortable and safe doing so. I truly believe that because the teachers worked so well with each other and shared a common respect, they were able to work to the best of their abilities with the students which helped to foster each individual relationship. Again, FDK classrooms are never perfect, but this classroom was perfectly imperfect. You could tell the relationships were mirrored throughout the classroom as the students were always so eager to learn, so respectful of themselves and each other, and always curious. Like any other classroom, there were some ups and downs, but the students felt safe and comfortable with their teachers and approaching them for any needs whether they were regarding school or personal. I personally saw how modeling a positive relationship between the RECE and teacher has a positive effect on the classroom because this relationship was beginning to be mirrored by the students with their teachers and peers.

NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP

I was also able to spend some time in a FDK classroom in which the relationship between the RECE and Teacher could be described as hierarchal, misunderstood, and little to no mutual respect was present. The educators quite often struggled to see eye to eye and very often disagreed when it came to topics like classroom management, behaviour management, and even things like how to decorate the classroom or how to arrange a bulletin board. I spent a few weeks with the team and there were too many disagreements to even keep track of. The was an evident power struggle in which the Teacher believed they were the decision maker, and the RECE felt underappreciated, disrespected, and ignored. The relationship between the team was very negative, and I unfortunately saw how that reflected onto the student and their relationships with the teachers and each other. You could see that the students would observe the teacher and RECE and begin to mirror their behaviours. The students didn’t feel as safe and comfortable in the classroom as they should have, especially when having to approach one of the two teachers. The students were often confused as to who they should approach, and it was obvious that they were nervous to hurt one or the other teacher’s feelings as they would apprehensively whisper as they spoke and would look to see if the other teacher would notice. This classroom also happened to have a lot of behavioural issues and I can’t help but think that because the Teacher and RECE had such a poor relationship, this was one of the influential reasons for the students acting out. The Teacher and RECE modeled a poor relationship in front of the student and this was mirrored by the students with their peers and their teachers. What I was able to gather from this experience was that a negative relationship in an FDK classroom between the teaching team will lead to a negative relationship with the students and throughout the whole classroom.

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Some awesome tips and tricks to build a positive relationship with your student!

Photo source: https://twitter.com/weareteachers/status/844977056056332290

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Photo source: https://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/06/09/student-relationships-348/

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Studies show students with caring and supportive interpersonal relationships in school report more positive academic attitudes and values, and more satisfaction with school. There students are also more engaged academically

(Klem & Connell, 2009) Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2009, October 09). Relationships Matter: Linking Teacher Support to Student Engagement and Achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7).

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Rita Pierson has been an educator for over 40 years and with all of this experience, she is clearly able to identify the importance of human connection and relationships within education. Teachers, RECES, Staff, and Students all play a crucial role in the success of the student and most of this success can stem from a simple and supportive relationship. Pierson says that kids don't learn from people they don't like and this is why its important for teachers to choose to like their student and always strive to see the best in them while making that apparent to the child. This is one of my all time favourite TED talks and is something I base my theory and approaches on when entering classrooms and being apart of students lives.