Tania Gutierrez Ramirez

Friday, April 19
On-the-Job Training
Week 2 (April 15 – 19)

In my second week of training, I had the misfortune of getting viral pink eye. This had

me out for three days, and once again, I was only able to go for two. Still, I enjoyed it and

learned from the experience.

My favorite activity this week was an art project that I led. The daycare did not have any

planned curriculum for Thursday, so they asked me if I had any ideas. Since it was going to be

Easter this Sunday, I decided to go with that as my theme. I had the children decorate some pre-

drawn blank eggs on construction paper with pre-cut tissue paper. It was simple and short

because of the last-minute planning, and also because the children had already had a movie that

was put into the schedule (the film was called Peter Rabbit). Not to mention, we had a bigger

group of younger children. At any rate, I had a lot of fun with the lesson.

If I were to pick a least favorite activity for this week, it would still be naptime for the

children. Yet I have found that if I stay by the side of some of the children that are fussy or

restless when it comes to going to sleep makes the time pass by faster. I just sit by their side and

rub their backs gently until they fall asleep.

This week I learned about how teachers handle large groups that get riled up during the

day and refuse to follow directions. We had lots of kids, toddlers and babies, and it was amazing

how some of the staff controlled them. Likewise, it was interesting to note what strategies did not

work. It is important to know how to settle down children so that they are able to learn. This also

applies to when kids are rowdy during playtime so that they won’t hurt themselves and others. I

am grateful for this experience, even if it was rather shorter than I would have liked.