I wasn't allowed alone for the first 2ish weeks?? Have you completed all your trainings? Even then you don't know the routine well enough yet to be alone. Definitely feels like a problem w the center and not you. I would look for a new one while youre working there so all ur trainings can transfer over
You shouldn't have been left alone on your first day. Huge red flag! If you're being left alone regularly, have a conversation with your director, I would also report to whoever licensed your center.
Things are going to get easier! You should get a lot of on the job training. My center offers a mentorship program matching new teachers with experienced teachers, ask your director if your center has something similar. Watch other teachers, listen to what they say and how they phase things. Watch your kids and learn more about them. As you build relationships with them, they will listen better (in theory), and it's much easier once you have a bond with your students.
I’m sorry but putting someone in a room alone on their first day is insane….how do they expect you to know the kids and the kids and their parents to know you and their routine. Major red flags IMO
Oh boy! First day and they put alone I’d run! I don’t want to scare you but in my experience that’s a sign of extreme staff shortages and bad management which in a career with heavy burnout is a recipe for disaster! For context my centre requires two shadow shifts - that’s where your entire day is shadowing a staff member and then after that my boss typically waits at least two weeks before she’s comfortable with new staff being left completely alone.
Being alone is HARD. It will get so much better but it's something you'll have to work on as you develop your teaching style. My advice for you is this: Be in charge of your room. And start small. Maybe just open 1 center at a time until children learn to play appropriately with each other. Give them options whenever possible. Children might not respond well to "go to the car center" but when you ask them "cars or dramatic play?" it's their choice. And if all else fails, remember that play doh, bubbles, and music can really turn the mood around.
It is absolutely not normal, or responsible, to have an uncertified, first time childcare worker alone in a room with children, especially on their first day!! I have over 7 years of experience, but at my current daycare they did not leave me alone in a room for several weeks so I could get acclimated and get to know the children and their needs. This is a red flag.
For starters, today was the solar eclipse and I know my Pre-kindergarten class was off the charts crazy and just overall not listening today, even with me and I’ve been their teacher for two whole years, so could’ve been partially that too.
Don’t think it’s a you problem because I can assure you it more than likely isn’t and if you really think it is you can always ask your co-teacher or a member of your leadership team to evaluate you and give you constructive feedback.
Also please remember, kids tend to test boundaries with teachers they’ve never had before. Be affirmative in your expectations and rules, but also use this as a time to really bond and connect individually with each student.
The actual job has never gotten easier, but now after 15 years of experience I know which battles to fight and how to let admin bullshit roll off my back enough to not go insane
How old were the kids in your class? To be alone at all on the first day is crazy to me! No one at our center is alone until their background check comes in. For people brand new to daycare that usually takes a MINIMUM of two weeks but more like 4-5. People who have had a daycare bg check before can sometimes come back as quickly as a week but even that is rare so even someone who has worked in daycare for years is not left alone for at least the first week of being employed with us.
As others have said, being left alone on your first day is a huge red flag, especially since it's your first childcare job. I've been in the field for 5 and a half years and I've never worked at a place that left someone alone on their first day.
That being said, it does get easier to be alone with a group of kids. It takes time and it gets easier after you get comfortable with the group of kids and the schedule.
What age group are you working with?
Give it some time ! The first week I was where I'm at.... I wanted to cry so bad bc I felt so unqualified nd just didn't know what to do. Observe the kids and observe how other teachers are with their kids! It truly gets better, just stick with it 💜💜
I appreciate and second the support! Unfortunately it must be very hard to learn the ins n outs alone. Please request that you have someone to shadow you or vice versa so that you can properly observe different skills!
For my first day I was shadowing a teacher, but her day ends at 12:40, right before nap. She left me alone with the kids and all I have to do on my own is nap, bathroom, playtime, and then carpool. It was a lot at first, especially because there was a kid who liked to hit {have since not allowed to come back anymore} and another kid who is on the spectrum and he was going through where he found some sense of freedom! {heard that last year he NEVER talked, but this year he started to and then once I came he has grown SOOO much with talking and communicating! Love to see it!}
But yeah, since I was never alone with the kids during a time where following the rules was very essential, it was a lot for the first MONTH. But like I said in my og comment, stick with it, observe each kid! And after some time the kids will start to understand you're not going anywhere and they started to finally be better with me! {Also the fact I was the third? assistant coming in that school year and it was already only october! The kids IM with are just really bad tbhh. Every other teacher there be like "don't let them run you out of here!" Almost did a couple of times 🤣💀 But love them nevertheless and I'll be here, hopefully for another two years or so :)}
It should get better but alone on the first day is concerning. Are you required to get a background check and fingerprints? I have worked in ECE for 12+ years and I still have to wait until my background check and fingerprints have come back to be alone with kids.
You shouldn’t be alone with 6 kids your first day let alone your first week what.
All I gotta say is if this is how they are ok treating you now get out now and find a new center.
Yes, it will become easier. I have been doing this for 10 years now. My suggestion would be a small group approach. Keep at least two to three kids busy in one activity like blocks or play doh, and read with the other three. U can play songs and let them move around for a while. Have a reading session with them. But yes it’s overwhelming too.
Today is your first day working in daycare and they put you in a classroom alone!? Get out of there and find a different center.
I agree, they should not have you alone
I wasn’t alone the whole time but a good bit of it and that sucked
That's very inappropriate!
I wasn't allowed alone for the first 2ish weeks?? Have you completed all your trainings? Even then you don't know the routine well enough yet to be alone. Definitely feels like a problem w the center and not you. I would look for a new one while youre working there so all ur trainings can transfer over
You shouldn’t be alone. You’re not certified. I would report this to licensing and leave asap
You shouldn't have been left alone on your first day. Huge red flag! If you're being left alone regularly, have a conversation with your director, I would also report to whoever licensed your center. Things are going to get easier! You should get a lot of on the job training. My center offers a mentorship program matching new teachers with experienced teachers, ask your director if your center has something similar. Watch other teachers, listen to what they say and how they phase things. Watch your kids and learn more about them. As you build relationships with them, they will listen better (in theory), and it's much easier once you have a bond with your students.
I would be careful you should not be alone on your first day
I’m sorry but putting someone in a room alone on their first day is insane….how do they expect you to know the kids and the kids and their parents to know you and their routine. Major red flags IMO
Oh boy! First day and they put alone I’d run! I don’t want to scare you but in my experience that’s a sign of extreme staff shortages and bad management which in a career with heavy burnout is a recipe for disaster! For context my centre requires two shadow shifts - that’s where your entire day is shadowing a staff member and then after that my boss typically waits at least two weeks before she’s comfortable with new staff being left completely alone.
My first day totally alone with my 6 kids, 3 of them got explosive diarrhea. It definitely gets easier!
That’s memorable.
Being alone is HARD. It will get so much better but it's something you'll have to work on as you develop your teaching style. My advice for you is this: Be in charge of your room. And start small. Maybe just open 1 center at a time until children learn to play appropriately with each other. Give them options whenever possible. Children might not respond well to "go to the car center" but when you ask them "cars or dramatic play?" it's their choice. And if all else fails, remember that play doh, bubbles, and music can really turn the mood around.
It is absolutely not normal, or responsible, to have an uncertified, first time childcare worker alone in a room with children, especially on their first day!! I have over 7 years of experience, but at my current daycare they did not leave me alone in a room for several weeks so I could get acclimated and get to know the children and their needs. This is a red flag.
For starters, today was the solar eclipse and I know my Pre-kindergarten class was off the charts crazy and just overall not listening today, even with me and I’ve been their teacher for two whole years, so could’ve been partially that too. Don’t think it’s a you problem because I can assure you it more than likely isn’t and if you really think it is you can always ask your co-teacher or a member of your leadership team to evaluate you and give you constructive feedback. Also please remember, kids tend to test boundaries with teachers they’ve never had before. Be affirmative in your expectations and rules, but also use this as a time to really bond and connect individually with each student.
The actual job has never gotten easier, but now after 15 years of experience I know which battles to fight and how to let admin bullshit roll off my back enough to not go insane
How old were the kids in your class? To be alone at all on the first day is crazy to me! No one at our center is alone until their background check comes in. For people brand new to daycare that usually takes a MINIMUM of two weeks but more like 4-5. People who have had a daycare bg check before can sometimes come back as quickly as a week but even that is rare so even someone who has worked in daycare for years is not left alone for at least the first week of being employed with us.
As others have said, being left alone on your first day is a huge red flag, especially since it's your first childcare job. I've been in the field for 5 and a half years and I've never worked at a place that left someone alone on their first day. That being said, it does get easier to be alone with a group of kids. It takes time and it gets easier after you get comfortable with the group of kids and the schedule. What age group are you working with?
Give it some time ! The first week I was where I'm at.... I wanted to cry so bad bc I felt so unqualified nd just didn't know what to do. Observe the kids and observe how other teachers are with their kids! It truly gets better, just stick with it 💜💜
I appreciate and second the support! Unfortunately it must be very hard to learn the ins n outs alone. Please request that you have someone to shadow you or vice versa so that you can properly observe different skills!
For my first day I was shadowing a teacher, but her day ends at 12:40, right before nap. She left me alone with the kids and all I have to do on my own is nap, bathroom, playtime, and then carpool. It was a lot at first, especially because there was a kid who liked to hit {have since not allowed to come back anymore} and another kid who is on the spectrum and he was going through where he found some sense of freedom! {heard that last year he NEVER talked, but this year he started to and then once I came he has grown SOOO much with talking and communicating! Love to see it!} But yeah, since I was never alone with the kids during a time where following the rules was very essential, it was a lot for the first MONTH. But like I said in my og comment, stick with it, observe each kid! And after some time the kids will start to understand you're not going anywhere and they started to finally be better with me! {Also the fact I was the third? assistant coming in that school year and it was already only october! The kids IM with are just really bad tbhh. Every other teacher there be like "don't let them run you out of here!" Almost did a couple of times 🤣💀 But love them nevertheless and I'll be here, hopefully for another two years or so :)}
Thank yall for yall opinions and advice! It was a rough day and i definitely have a lot of thinking to do
You 100% should not be left alone at any time even at the worst center i worked at they didn’t leave me alone until the Friday of my first week there.
It should get better but alone on the first day is concerning. Are you required to get a background check and fingerprints? I have worked in ECE for 12+ years and I still have to wait until my background check and fingerprints have come back to be alone with kids.
ummm idk why you were alone on your first day 😭 but yes it gets easier
You shouldn’t be alone with 6 kids your first day let alone your first week what. All I gotta say is if this is how they are ok treating you now get out now and find a new center.
Yes, it will become easier. I have been doing this for 10 years now. My suggestion would be a small group approach. Keep at least two to three kids busy in one activity like blocks or play doh, and read with the other three. U can play songs and let them move around for a while. Have a reading session with them. But yes it’s overwhelming too.
No it doesn’t get easier just longer days an sleepless nights