Planning a safe environment at school is a difficult but important process. Due to the fact that child safety and protection play a significant role, school staff follows licensing requirements and guidelines. It includes guaranteeing that the indoor and outdoor environment should be of minimal risk and for children. Many schools understand that basic licensing regulations must be maintained at all times, and for this reason, they do their own monitoring (“Health, Safety, and Nutrition”, 00:01:04). The aim of this paper is to discuss several ideas that can be implemented by teachers for enhancing the safety of the environment.
Several researchers indicated what rules teachers should follow while planning a safe indoor environment. Marotz et al. provide a checklist that should help teachers to organize the environment in a safe way (185). One of the essential factors about the safe environment is its cleanliness since it prevents most of the harmful bacteria from getting onto children’s hands and in their mouths. Therefore, a teacher should check every day if the floor and the walls of the classroom are clean, as well as toys and the bathroom. Teachers also have to make sure that the garbage is put away, and there is no water on the floor; otherwise, there is a high risk that some child would slip and hurt him- or herself. Fire safety is another essential factor in a safe indoor environment. There are several activities that a teacher can implement to ensure it. For example, the monitoring of fire safety can be assisted with smoke detectors that are located in appropriate places and are in working order (Marotz et al. 185). Moreover, carpets and draperies should be fire-retardant.
Fortunately, I have not experienced an emergency situation while working with children, and I hope that would stay the same. However, I realize that a teacher should be adequately trained in basic first aid techniques. Moreover, having an accessible phone is a must; with a phone, a teacher can call not only emergency services, such as fire departments or hospital services but also parents or legal guardians of children. This step is critical since some medical facilities will not help the child without the permission of parents (Marotz et al. 236). Another factor of emergency preparation is a fully equipped first aid kit; however, it must be locked away from children.
One of the concepts that caught my attention during my studies is the importance of teacher qualifications. According to Marotz et al., it is one of the weakest areas in many state licensing regulations (173). Nevertheless, it is evident that such factors as working experience, emergency preparation, and proper training are essential in this profession. The reason for this is that teachers have a number of responsibilities, such as providing education for children but also making sure that it is done in a safe environment. The connection between the level of education and an ability to provide high-quality care and education has already been proven by researchers (Marotz et al. 173). Since there are many prospective educators, the standards are becoming much higher. In light of the analysis of previous studies, it is evident that the importance of in-service teacher training cannot be ignored or considered as a factor irrelevant or less important.
The question that arises from this concept is how teachers can expand their knowledge in order to be fully qualified for this profession. Further discussion might be needed on what subjects teachers can study, what training teachers should get, and how it will affect the safety of children. In conclusion, it would appear that keeping children safe obviously should be a major priority for schools. In order to promote safe learning, school staff must be educated and licensed. In addition, teachers should fully abide by safety rules and be really careful while working with children.
Works Cited
“Health, Safety, and Nutrition”. YouTube, 2015. Web.
Marotz, Lynn, et al., Safety and Nutrition for Young Children 9th Ed. Cengage, 2015