Two sides of the same communication coin

I was able to observe the morning arrival at the center. I was curious on how the teachers meet and greet their parents. I was not disappointed. One teacher knew every parent and every child by name. I have trouble remembering my 6 children's names at home, so for her to know over thirty children and their parents names was pretty good.

I am a strong believer in talking to people and this teacher was no different. She would greet the parents, ask them how they were and if they had questions regarding their child, she would listen and acknowledge their concerns. For example one parent stated that another child allegedly bit her daughter but there was no report or incident recorded and wanted to know if she knew anything about it. The teacher stated she wasn't aware of it but would be happy to look into it. She also told the parent it was unfortunate it happened to her child, but sometimes things happen so quickly the teachers do not catch it in time. The parent was happy and calm when the teacher finished talking to her, it was refreshing to see that she didn't attack the teacher, and the teacher was polite and courteous to the parent.

Now there was a second teacher in the gym and she was also greeting parents, but I noticed she was talking about other staff and children in the center in not the best light. I felt that was inappropriate because it disregarded the right of privacy for the child or staff members. I would never bring down others to make myself look good, so seeing a "professional" doing it was shocking. I asked my observation host regarding that incident, and she stated it isn't the first time she has done that, and the director has warned her numerous times to stop that. The teachers response to that was "well when you use your big girl voice, I may take you more seriously"

Here we see two different ways of treating parents, children and staff at the same location and wonder if parents get mixed signals when dealing with so many different personalities and professionalism? One teacher really reaches out to the parents and works to make them feel welcomed and the kids are safe, and the other belittles the kids and staff which makes the parents wonder why they put the kids in the center. I know as a parent I would be concerned about what was going on.

I think if I was to approach my advocacy ( Early intervention) I would use the parent/teacher conference way of communication. I want to be able to sit down with them and discuss the possible issues the child may have. I think going over an assessment or review of the child's progress and having it in front of the parents to review helps with any questions or concerns they may have. I would also know their names and be very polite. My job is to help the child and family, not gossip about others in the center. They need to know their child and his well being in the classroom is my first priority.
Bringing early intervention is something that a child may need, then discussing the reasoning behind it and benefits would be a good thing to discuss with the parents.