About 15-20 years ago, one of the news programs like Frontline or 20/20 did a piece on unsupervised children. I just looked for it and can't find it but I vividly remember it as it mirrored what we saw with our children.
They went into a home based day care and filmed the children when the caregiver would step into the kitchen or turn her back. The woman and her helper were exceptionally engaged with the children but it was shocking what happened when they turned their backs. Children bit, pinched, shoved, hurt babies, you name it. Even more shocking was how the children's demeanor changed immediately when the caregiver returned. They showed empathy for the hurt child. They acted as if they had no idea how the baby got pinched or the girl shoved down.
This is where the term "eyes on supervision" came from. Every parent with a special needs child with behavioral challenges will know just what I mean. Every parent of every child should. Teachers honestly don't expect to have to provide this but it's often necessary.
They went into a home based day care and filmed the children when the caregiver would step into the kitchen or turn her back. The woman and her helper were exceptionally engaged with the children but it was shocking what happened when they turned their backs. Children bit, pinched, shoved, hurt babies, you name it. Even more shocking was how the children's demeanor changed immediately when the caregiver returned. They showed empathy for the hurt child. They acted as if they had no idea how the baby got pinched or the girl shoved down.
This is where the term "eyes on supervision" came from. Every parent with a special needs child with behavioral challenges will know just what I mean. Every parent of every child should. Teachers honestly don't expect to have to provide this but it's often necessary.