We switched to a new playschool. I might yet regret the decision. I stayed to help the kiddo transition this past Friday and had some fabulously circular conversations about how few things are easy to fix in the room.
~ The bulletin board is on the ground because it fell off the bookcase it was propped on and is considered unsafe. Apparently it is impossible to hang it up since that would involve city engineers. DPR offered to have us either
1) prop it up on the same bookcase in the morning only, then set it back down when class started. Bad idea: Aside from being fussy and silly and unnecessary, the worst time to have it propped up is when there are 20+ people ushering through the door.
2) permanently affix it to a bookcase at knee-level. Bad idea: it's for the parents, not the kids, so knee level is again just silly.
This left me asking why it had not just been removed, if a bulletin board has been determined a hazard in a classroom and cannot ever under any circumstances be safely hung up (which I just find a ridiculous claim). DPR replied, because we had wanted one - didn't we still? Well, yes, but not a broken one tucked behind a table, which in my book is called clutter. The board is still there and the pushpins have been removed. If it is there on Monday, I'm torn between just hanging the damn thing myself or hauling it out into the trash, even though it is a perfectly fine bulletin board.
~ The dry erase board above the crib: This is very firmly affixed and cannot be moved. It could be used for something and we now have permission to use it. Downside: it's above a crib so parents would have to reach over the crib to read, post or take down information. Also, it's not standard procedure to put hanging things like bulletin boards over a crib where a baby could grab at the markers or magnets. I asked about moving the crib to the other wall, out of the middle of the room, so that we could use that space better. The reply: the crib was placed in that exact spot by a supervisor and cannot, under any circumstances, be moved. Again, why would that be impossible? Does the baby's mother have any objections to the crib being in a safer location?
~ A closet with doors: The classroom has no closet and so everything is stored in short cubby bookshelves pushed backwards against the wall. The teachers have to move the bookshelves out and crawl in on hands and knees to get access to, say, crayons. Our DPR contact claimed closets are not age-appropriate for the 2 year old classroom because of tipping issues. All closets apparently. Even closets for teachers and parents to use. And apparently no, they cannot be attached to the wall without overcoming a lot of obstacles (I infer more hiring engineers again). She felt it would take up space and I explained that using some vertical space was better than the grey bin of snack supplies on the floor, the messy craft cart, the loose scissors that I confiscated, the unsecured gallons of tempura paint, the push pins from the board, the un-used potty seat, the baby wipes and supplies could all be safely put in there, creating both a safer and cleaner environment. She didn't seem to clearly understand that the intention was to end up with LESS stuff in the room, not more. Also, since others (might) use the room, a closet might not be safe for them, or might take up their space... I was unclear what this argument was conveying, but apparently the desires of some unknown folks who might use the room in the evenings also have to be weighed in. I offered to research a pre-school safe closet, maybe even one from an approved DC gov supplier.
The one thing I gained (aside from the possible ire of a person I'd prefer to have as an ally for asking apparently annoying questions), is that the broken record player and records (Wha?) beside crib will now be removed and the paint gallons will be stored in that cabinet.
You might wonder why I care about the little things. When simple things become difficult for no reason, then we can't cope when we have real issues to solve. It's easy to make things look hard. It's hard to make them look easy. We put up a perceived (and unproven) danger of a tipping closet ahead
of the real annoyance and real hazard of a cluttered room?
My husband works for the DC gov and his experience is that you just stop asking permission. There are too many folks (even excellent and devoted folks, like our DPR contact, who I can see is an exceptional and talented lady) who can't answer yes to anything. The answer is always no, because that is just how it is done. Because everyone has authority to say no and no one has authority to say yes.
When I hear that DPR can't hang a bulletin board in a classroom or move a crib, I get a little crazy. I want to be positive and practical and a partner to our DPR contact in the struggles she faces. But if you start with sublimely ridiculous claims of ineffectiveness, there is no room for me to cut any slack. She set the bar in that one conversation... and even if she gets the board hung, it's clear to me that the status quo will be to make every little think look hard.
Perhaps I should just come in with hangers and a hammer on Monday and
hang the board myself. Why not? Will I get kicked out of the new co-op? Will it
get taken down? I'm inclined to just fix up the room, make it for the
kids, and ignore all of the obstacles put up.
I feel for every DCPS teacher out there, where I assume it's as bad if not worse. Put the kids first and don't look back.
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