Why Does Early Childhood Education Feel So Unprofessional Sometimes?
Hey fellow ECE educators,
This is about the fourth center I’ve worked at, and I’m starting to notice a trend in early childhood education especially in private schools/centers. There seems to be a real lack of professionalism sometimes, and I don’t just mean coworkers being rude, ignoring you, or not even saying good morning (although I’ve noticed that a lot too).
I mean the way some staff speak to students, the way they speak to each other in general, and even the communication that goes out to families. Sometimes I’ll read a newsletter or announcement and it honestly reads like someone sent out a casual text message instead of a professional communication from a school. It’s so strange. We are educators why are the expectation lower because we work in ECE??????
We recently had our staff meeting(my 1st one) and the director addressed professionalism, appropriate communication, dress code, gossiping, etc. She also announced that staff are no longer allowed to babysit students because there had been too much gossiping with parents about the school, the director, and other staff members. Apparently it got back around enough times that it became a major issue.
This is only my third week at this school, and I’m honestly sitting here wondering: is this becoming common in ECE centers? Because when I worked in public schools, I didn’t really experience this kind of environment nearly as much.
What has your experience been like? Parents, do you notice this about certain staff when you pick up and drop off?