Filling in for lead in 3s Room - Advice?
First time posting but have loved reading/commenting on this reddit! Thank you so much for this space.
TLDR:
I’m a floater recently assigned to fill in as an assistant in a 3s room. Lead is out a couple days this/next week so I’ll be with another floater, taking on some lead responsibilities. What advice would you give me?
Details:
I’ve been at a center for a couple months and have been a floater until now (previously was an aide with 2-3s elsewhere and then have been with lots of ages here). This week and last, I’ve filling in as a teaching assistant in a 3s room (8 kids until nap, 10 after 3pm; all boys; most about to turn 3) since the previous assistant teacher left last week. It’s been pretty good - I’m definitely learning a lot in this role, especially about classroom management, which has gotten easier as the kids and I get to know each other.
I don’t plan to accept a promotion to this role permanently (I prefer infants/1s and don’t think 3s full time forever is sustainable for me) and am communicating that to admin. However, the lead teacher in the classroom has approved PTO this upcoming Friday, Monday and Tuesday, so it looks like it’ll be me and another floater running the room on those days, most likely with me in a more prominent role since I’ll be the one who knows the routine, expectations and kids better.
What advice would you give me? My biggest challenge at first was classroom management when running transitions and responding to other moments of kids testing boundaries. Like I said, I feel like I’ve learned a lot in that regard (effective consequence options in the room, when to ignore behavior vs when to engage, etc) and they definitely listen more often now when instructions come from me instead of the lead needing to come back me up every time. But her presence alone still makes things smoother (even if I’m leading something) and the very end of the day when she leaves and it’s me and someone else is trickier with her gone. It’s not just classroom management ofc, as there are many elements of leading (and I want general advice about leading circle time, activities etc too) but my main fear is definitely general chaos ensuing, even if I come in clear, confident and consistent with the expectations the lead has set.
What would you say isn’t obvious to floaters/assistants but is helpful when in a lead role? I think I’ve heard lots of the usual advice (be clear and confident - they can sense uncertainty; look and address for underlying needs/causes of disruptive behavior in addition to behavior itself; use immediate, logical and realistic consequences whenever possible; keep transitions smooth and timely so they’re kept engaged and not bored; keep relationships at core of everything; regulate myself since they feed off that energy; give choices/autonomy while maintaining safety/boundaries, etc) but is there anything specific to leading that you think would help/isn’t obvious/intuitive?
Thank you in advance!