Professional Case Study: Gupal and Wendy

Our group had a great discussion regarding the reflective questions in this case study. We found that they demonstrated some ethical behaviour when starting the day, Gupal asking Wendy for a rundown of how the morning went, as well as Wendy taking morning attendance (prior to losing the sheet). Wendy was keeping an eye on the children who seemed more tired, to ensure they weren’t also coming down with sickness, and when Dory was noticed as missing, they were calm, and asked for another staff member to come to supervise while they searched for her, without alarming the other children. There were a variety of questionable practice things happening here. The lost attendance sheet is extremely important, because they need to have record of who is there at all times, in case of emergency, or any other issues. Gupal saying to Dory that she needed to talk to her, but not specifying when, and addressing it immediately is questionable because Dory now has this feeling that she did something wrong and maybe she is in trouble? So she sits there stewing with these feelings because there was no clarity of what happened that required a talking-to. Also, Wendy “motioning” for Gupal to go outside because the children wanted to, rather than saying aloud that it was going to be time to go out, and to prepare everyone for the transition in advance, could have prevented the whole scenario. “Using our words” as Katy put it, is a good lesson for everyone! Before going outside, the children should have all lined up and waited to all go at the same time after being accounted for, rather than a free for all. Doing this would have allowed the educators to notice Dory sitting alone, prior to going outside. These small structure changes and communication adjustments will improve their practice. Having a communications log book with the attendance record in a designated spot will keep them from being misplaced. We all decided that it would be good to let Dory’s parents know that there was an oversight when they transitioned to going outside, where she didn’t end up heading out with the rest of the kids, due to being a little distressed from a miscommunication, and the educators weren’t sure where she was for a brief moment, but quickly found her and talked with her about what happened. Doing this would allow them to be transparent, and not have it be possibly relayed by Dory later on in a way that could have been misunderstood in her emotional state. What they wouldn’t discuss with the parents would be the internal aspects, such as losing the attendance sheet, that Gupal came in overtired,  or placing blame on either educator. Keeping the communication positive, and about Dory is the most important way to relay the situation to the parents.