Extinct

I've been in the field of child care for almost 12 years in various roles. Assistant, floater, lead floater, lead, and sometimes just a warm body in the corner that counted as maintaining ratio. 

I've worked with ages as young as 6 months and as old as 12. 

In my career I have watched the slow but consistent degradation of what a child care establishment could be thanks to the state but this round of changes and adjustments to the already lengthy packet of rules and regulations have really inhibited what a teacher can do and has made many teachers walk away to what I consider lesser jobs such as retail to avoid the micromanagement of the state. 

When one looks at what the state the expects and demands from a teacher or the like and holds it next to what teachers make (which is below the poverty level) it doesn't add up. 

I'm exploring the theme of Dinosaurs with my students because with the bluray release of Jurassic World the interest has been reignited. 

No, I don't expect to show the children the movie and yes I can see why parents would have opposition to that idea considering we live in a society where mollycoddling is the most popular parenting style. 

I have 3 educational miniseries on DVD on dinosaurs that I have utilized as a teaching tool for years. It's still quite amazing and captivating to children year after year. It is solely educational documentaries. 

It serves a purpose (no, not sitting children in front of the tv and turn the tv into a babysitter) and provides information I either cannot or have no way to. It's not as if I can have all the children hop on a bus magic school bus style and have them see actual dinosaurs. Walking with dinosaurs is as close as it will get to seeing an extinct species in action. 

The state has decided that one area that deserved their attention was movies and their use. Movies are not allowed to be shown for entertainment purposes and must be theme related. 

It boils my blood that some big wig from the state who is so far removed from what childcare actually is has the final say as to whether or not a visual aid I chose is or is not of value. 

Most OCFS workers wouldn't know the educational worth of a text book let alone a few miniseries. 

The state expects people like myself to obtain a CDA credential. It takes about a year and makes anyone who completes it eligible to be a lead teacher. 

But is there really any need for a lead teacher when the state is making decisions for us? How long before the state starts handing out curriculum and lesson plans so any pride or joy you could take from your work is completely obliterated?

I'm also so very tired of hearing people discuss STEM when the states as made it impossible to in cooperate it into our classroom as there is no wiggle room on the use of tablets and computers. 

Government and education should be separate. And no human being willing to work a thousand times harder than any McDonalds worker but earns minimum wage should be poked, prodded, and micro managed by disillusioned has been teachers.