Welcome back to After School Tea Time! Take a look at what we’re spilling this week! We have questions from all over Connecticut, so grab your tea cups and get comfortable. This is the tea you don’t want to miss!

Question from Fairfield County– There was recently a disagreement between two staff members in our program. This has caused some tension between them and has thrown off the energy of our work environment. How can one resolve tension between staff members in a productive way?

Answer: Where there are people there will always be misunderstandings. Sometimes, someone has to intervene. Disagreements do not mean that people cannot get along but they do need to talk and try to empathize with other people. We can never agree on everything but we can know that our similarities are far more prevalent than our differences. Emotions can get carried away at times and breed hurt feelings. Having a lead staff person try to do a sit down with the two individuals and let them know that you and the rest of the team care about them and want them to understand that the negative energy they are throwing out there is affecting everyone. Keep it truthful and ask them how do WE make this better? No one has to agree with everyone else but we have to try and get along for the sake of our team mates.

Question from Hartford County– There are some children in our program who have trouble staying on task when we are doing activities. What are some tips on keeping children on task and focused?
Answer: As a child ages their focus becomes longer and they are able to stay on task. What are your expectations and are they realistic? A child of 5 will be able to do tasks for a much more limited time than a 10 year old. Do the children have clear direction? Do they know what is expected of them? With that said some strategies for older children might be to have them help each other out or work in teams. Make sure the activities that you provide are engaging for the age group. Another option would be to take a break, have them stand up, stretch and move then go back to the activity. Ask questions while they work to engage them further; it could be about the activity itself or something silly or factual. At the end of the day I’m sure they are all tired from being in class so this also makes your job a little tougher. Bunch of deep breaths and remind them once again to come back to the activity.

We hope you enjoyed spilling some tea with us for our first After School Tea Time session! As always, if you would like to ask questions about anything related to after school, use this link. We can’t wait to spill even more tea with you in our next session!