Running Head: ADULT SUPERVISION INTERVIEW RESEARCH PAPER
ECH 460 Adult Supervision
Interview Research Paper
Brianna Leiford
California Baptist University
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Abstract
This comprehensive assignment is a requirement for the Early Childhood Studies ECH 460
course pertaining to adult supervision and management. This paper will incorporate three
separate and distinct interviews from professionals in the field of education and one professional
in the field of ministry. The research will discuss critical themes in leadership and management
styles and abilities. It will also inform readers of the current issues supervisors face in fulfilling
their roles and providing for staff and program needs.
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Introduction
There is more to supervision then meets the eye. It is a labor some and difficult process
and it requires mental strength and aptitude. The risks are high but the rewards are even greater.
By interviewing and seeing first hand these everyday challenges supervisors face, I was able to
obtain a greater understanding and appreciation for their professional occupation. During my
experience, I job shadowed Debora Holk from Sunshine Special Education, Linda Lovett from
Lovett’s State Preschool, Dean Deaver from Monroe Elementary, and Ryan Meinberg from
Reflections Christian Fellowship Church. Although each supervisor took a different approach to
leading and resolving conflict between staff members, all appeared to have common threads
running throughout their facility that made them effective and valued leaders in their respected
program.
Myths about Supervision
According to Caruso and Fawcett (2007) there are eight common myths about
supervision. Two of the eight myths were identified and discussed by all four of the supervisors
that were interviewed, and one, in particular, by both Ryan Meinberg, in the area of ministry, and
Dean Deaver, in the field of education. The first myth that was recognized in Caruso and
Fawcett’s book was using directive, non-directive and the collaborative approach to supervision.
The common view is that there is a one approach fits all when overseeing staff. This myth was
quickly dispelled by all four administrators as they explained that all styles must be used in order
to be an effective supervisor. However, they did mention that they prefer to use the collaborative
style approach to learning as it builds unity and critical thinking skills within the group, but they
are not afraid to use a more directive approach to leading when necessary and appropriate.
The second myth that was addressed was the idea of supervision as an easy task. This
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was dismissed among the group as they each stated they often find themselves overwhelmed
having to manage and oversee such a large and diverse group of people, and that it is much more
than just a desk job as people tend to think. In fact, Mrs. Holk attests to this issue by stating that
her class is bursting at the seams due to overpopulation and underfunding (D. Holk, personal
communication, October 30, 2014). Finally, the last myth examined was the misconception that
direct confrontation with staff is non-supportive. According to Meinberg and Deaver, direct
confrontation is a necessary part of support, but it is often viewed as negative because it’s not
always the first thing people want to hear from you, especially coming from their supervisor.
Staff members often look at it from a negative point of view of what they are doing wrong
instead of an opportunity to improve and receive authentic feedback and encouragement from
their manager (M. Meinberg & D. Deaver, personal communication, November 11, 2014).
NAEYC Standards
According to the NAEYC (2008), the top ten standards for any early childhood facility are
relationships, curriculum, teaching, assessment of child progress, health, teachers, families,
community relationships, physical environment, and leadership and management. Many criteria
were discussed from the NAEYC, including assessment of child progress. Both Mrs. Holk and
Mrs. Lovett were highly knowledgeable in these areas of study. As director of a special
education preschool, Mrs. Holk is constantly engaging in what she calls classroom walkthroughs.
She is analyzing and reviewing both pre and post-test results, conducting formal and informal
observations, IEP and IFSP documentation with families and staff members, as well as
standardized and curriculum based assessments such as Brigands (D. Holk, personal
communication, October 30, 2014). Mrs. Lovett, on the other hand, has a requirement for all
parents to volunteer within her class. This allows the parents to have hands on experience,
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participation, and knowledge in what their child is doing during school. Her belief is that the
time to involve parents in their child’s education is now, for if not now, they never will. (L.
Lovett, personal communication, November 12, 2014). She also uses this as a platform for
community relationships found in the NAEYC (2008). Since her children, staff, and parent
volunteers speak fifteen different languages and come from a multi-cultural background, it is
imperative to receive community involvement.
The basic premise behind building relationships is that it promotes positive bonds and
interactions between children and adults to help form, solidify, and encourage community
partnership and responsibility. This creates an emphasis on respecting others and oneself,
generates learning, and forms a deeper understanding for children and oneself. Holk is also big
on parent involvement as it is required for assessment meetings and parent/teacher conferences.
The last NAEYC standard that was discussed was leadership and management (2008). All four
supervisors discussed the importance of humility and described it as a constant learning process.
Mr. Deaver took it one step further by stating that leadership is relationship based and is about
doing the right thing while management is doing things right (D. Deaver, personal
communication, November 11, 2014).
Nurture and Care
Noddings determined four different characteristics that are necessary for supervision.
They are modeling, dialogue, practice and confirmation (as cited in Caruso and Fawcett, 2007).
Mr. Deaver took the approach of modeling, and dialogue for supervision. He insists that
communicating through your words and actions produces integrity and effective modeling for
staff members as he reminds us all that “whatever you’re communicating, people are going to see
it, and it makes a huge difference” (D. Deaver, personal communication, November 14, 2014).
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Ryan Meinberg illustrates the technique of practice for effective supervision.
His belief is that in order to properly care for your staff, you must model that behavior.
He takes it one step further by adding that leaders should always be reproducing. In other words,
he must develop leaders underneath him so that they can in turn develop leaders underneath them
and so on (R. Meinberg, personal communication, November 7, 2014). Mrs. Holk and Mrs.
Lovett approach supervision from the confirmation approach. They check for understanding,
collaboration and cohesiveness among staff. They also include staff in decision making and
important judgment calls to maintain community involvement and high positivity. All four
supervisors use support and encouragement as a means to build, and demonstrate care for
individual needs and increase morale.
Supervisor Analysis and Observation
Supervisors in different environments must find time to observe in several ways (Caruso
and Fawcett, 2007). Mrs. Holk uses informal and formal observations to observe her staff
members. She carries a clipboard with a picture of a camera on the back of her board to indicate
to staff she is assessing their class. The observation becomes informal when she has to place her
clipboard down and intervene due to misconduct of some sort. However, she states that this
rarely has to happen as her staff members are reliable and responsible team members (D. Holk,
personal communication, October 30, 2014). Aside from everyday interactions, Ryan Meinberg
has found that observing staff members is most effective in the midst of conflict. In this sense, he
says he is able to observe their choices through how they lead underneath him and chose to
resolve the issue (R. Meinberg, personal communication, November 14, 2014). Both Mr. Deaver
and Mrs. Lovett seek to approach staff observation by staff meetings and providing an open line
of communication between themselves and their workers. This direct line of communication
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prevents miscommunication, and improves clarity of direction and understanding as it comes
straight from the source.
Issues Affecting Supervision
Caruso and Fawcett (2007) acknowledged several main concerns that early childhood
supervisors face in their daily live. Among them are staff morale, low status, and exclusion from
decision-making, burnout, staff turnover and diversity. Mrs. Lovett is a huge advocate for
implementing cultural diversity and awareness within her preschool program. She even stated
that both she and staff members will visit parent’s homes to gain a greater understanding and
respect for cultural traditions and practices they are unfamiliar with (L. Lovett, personal
communication, November 18, 2014). This technique enhances sensitivity and unity among her
staff and community family members.
A common thread among both Debora Holk and Ryan Meinberg are the issues of
disharmony among staff members, particularly pertaining to female co-workers. The most
prevalent issue all four supervisors have dealt with is providing enough support for both staff
members and community partners. According to Mr. Deaver, the most important thing he can do
as supportive supervisor is to give them a voice through building relationships and understanding
what they individually need to succeed and move forward. It is a matter of not controlling, but
anticipating, their needs (D. Deaver, personal communication, November 7, 2014).
Staff Development and Learning
Knowles explains the different ways that a supervisor encourages group reflection,
development, learning and dialogue among staff members are a concept known as andragogy (as
cited in Caruso and Fawcett, 2007). Andragogy has five parts to it: need for direction, reservoir
of experiences, interest in application of learning, problem-centered focus, and internal
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motivation. At least one facet was demonstrated by each supervisor. As previously mentioned,
Ryan Meinberg takes the approach of need for direction as it propels staff members towards selfdirected work that develops mastery of their skill, helps them gain confidence, and the ability to
pass on their knowledge to others, creating a continual chain reaction of forward progress,
building and momentum.
Linda Lovett generates an interest in application of learning by encouraging group
reflection and dialogue. She teaches staff members what they know they need to learn. This is a
motivating factor for dialogue because they know that they are learning is pertinent to their
growth, development, and success in their work. Mr. Deaver practices internal motivation with
his staff to build confidence and a strong work ethic. He instills hope and desire within them as a
driving force for support, and encouragement. Finally, Mrs. Holk uses a reservoir of experiences
to develop her team of staff members. She believes that “a collaborative team approach yields
the greatest benefit for the student in guiding the learning process and ensuring optimal results”
(D. Holk, personal communication, November 20, 2014).
Professional Development and Supervisor Role
Developing staff members can be a daunting task. However, each of the four supervisors’
I interviewed exhibited confidence in providing their staff members with the adequate training
they need to grow and develop as staff members. Mr. Deaver explains that it is his job to make
staff members feel supported and a part of something. In other words, he believes that as a
supervisor, he wants to give them a place of belonging and security. He states that one of the best
ways he can develop his staff members is by equipping them to learn without telling them what
to learn (D. Deaver, personal communication, November 11, 2014). However, he firmly believes
in hands on approach to meeting the needs of his co-workers whenever necessary to know they
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are supported and valued.
Both Mrs. Lovett and Mrs. Holk have regular staff development trainings, materials,
research articles and Professional Learning Community meetings that they regularly attend and
participate in to develop staff and them as supervisors (D. Holk and L. Lovett, personal
communication, November 20, 2014). Finally, Ryan Meinberg explains that he encourages staff
to grow and develop by pushing them to excel in their areas of strength. After they have
mastered their strengths, he turns to developing their weaknesses to make them their strengths
(R. Meinberg, personal communication, November 21, 2014). Each of the supervisors agreed
that they must work with many different individuals that make up their program management
team to grow collectively and be effective in their communities (Caruso and Fawcett, 2007).
Supervisory Development
According to Caruso and Fawcett (2007), there are three different developmental stages
that a supervisor can be placed in: beginning, extending, maturing. Three out of the four
supervisors are in the maturing stage. They exhibit qualities as discussed in the text such as selfevaluation, recognizing the supervisory role as a continual learning process, are realistic about
goal setting, and have a strong life philosophy (2207). Ryan Meinberg is in the beginning stages
of supervisor as it is his first year as a program director for ministry. However, he demonstrates
qualities such as the ones mentioned above to quickly propel him to the next stage. A common
thread that was mentioned with all four interviewees was the ability to be flexible on the job.
Staff Ability
There are several qualities that define a good staff member. Each supervisor had their
own take on what made a staff member highly desirable. Mrs. Holk discussed the importance of
being patient when working within a special education facility, and the unwavering pursuit of
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excellence for each student. Mr. Deaver focused on the quality of having a strong willingness
and desire to be present and active in their work as well as an undying hope for positive growth
and personal progression. Mrs. Lovett believed it was having a firm foundation in being
advocates for children and showing integrity in everything you do. Finally, Ryan Meinberg
stated that an attitude of service and humility was most crucial in church ministry (R. Meinberg,
personal communication, November 7, 2014). Each supervisor collectively touched on the
importance of staff members possessing a proper attitude and perspective for quality level
performance.
Personal Philosophy and Career Path
A common theme that ran through each supervisor’s personal philosophy is that change
is possible through a collective and collaborative approach. They noted the importance of being
advocates for your cause, particularly children, and the importance of doing things with integrity.
I also noticed that each person did not initially aspire to be a supervisor or a director of a
program, but made their way up the ladder of career paths and steps necessary to arrive there. In
addition, each person had a significant other who profoundly affected their lives, making them
who they are today, and encouraging them to continue their line of work, knowing and believing
that if they could impact and change the life of just one person, it was all worth it.
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References
Caruso, J.J., & Fawcett, M. T. (2007). Supervision in early childhood education: A
developmental perspective. New York, NY: Teachers college Press.
NAEYC. (2008). Overview of the NAEYC early childhood program standards. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/baby-and-toddler/baby-talk-speakingparentese/