04-09-2004, 01:20 AM
I think I'm too close to it to be able to answer your question. I'd say it's like juggling- each moment requires you to re-evaluate the needs of each pin, and make sure you're focusing on the one that needs you the most (for example, there's a kid who needs a band-aid, one who thinks she might throw up, and some stranger just walked into the classroom- each thing makes you re-evaluate the importance of the other issues!).
At the moment I work with 3-5 year olds and college-age students, and I find the two groups surprisingly similar. For both groups, the trick is to find the right balance of encouragement and constructive criticism. You have to feel out the situation to decide whether to let the students make mistakes on their own, and learn from those, or to step in to prevent them from making the mistakes in the first place. Both groups have their own challenges. There are extremely stressful and scary moments, and there are rewarding moments. The college students are somewhat less likely to need help with toileting, though. :P
-Griselda
At the moment I work with 3-5 year olds and college-age students, and I find the two groups surprisingly similar. For both groups, the trick is to find the right balance of encouragement and constructive criticism. You have to feel out the situation to decide whether to let the students make mistakes on their own, and learn from those, or to step in to prevent them from making the mistakes in the first place. Both groups have their own challenges. There are extremely stressful and scary moments, and there are rewarding moments. The college students are somewhat less likely to need help with toileting, though. :P
-Griselda
Why can't we all just get along
--Pete
--Pete