Вестник ТГПУ им Л.Н. Толстого №3 2005

СОТРУДНИЧЕСТВО № 3, 2005 • Category of target and output competencies, including a much broader category of “start­ up” competencies, i.e., those that are the background of both future development of the individual and further education. ®Category of “instant” competencies satisfying the current needs of children and “follow- up” competencies enhancing children’s abilities and producing skills in relation to the their future needs. • Category of competencies in terms of responsibility for oneself and other people. Implementation and creation of such competencies as “what do I want and what do I have to”. Focus on appropriate competencies of the teacher Competencies necessary for a teacher are rooted in the professional education of a teacher and its future development and, sometimes, its restructuring based on certain priorities. Recognition supports competent behavior in teachers. It must be pointed out again that in addition to educational, specialized, psychological, didactic and diagnostic competencies the priority of development and cultivation of social and socio-psychologica! competencies should be stressed. They include communicative, personal, adaptive and contemplative competencies in particular. A truly functional (as opposed to merely formal) implementation of the contemplative competency is not at hand. According to a survey in Eastern Bohemia of how kindergarten teachers portrayed themselves 92 % out of 90 teachers did not answer the questions “What can I do?” and “What am I good at?” The contemplative competency is in a different dimension from that of evaluation by the head teacher, the school inspection and the like. A teacher is answerable to herself or himself and seeks conscious support to continue his or her work or intercedes to promote changes. This is an important part of teacher independence and individual improvement of teaching. Seeking general agreement between the requirements of the family, children’s needs and professional responsibility The question is, what is the reason wherefore professional teachers know what things do not benefit children at the kindergarten and yet are unable to or afraid of trying to explain it to parents? It may be due to the fact that attending kindergarten is not obligatory and kindergartens are afraid to say no to some activities that parents demand. Naturally, kindergartens would have to come up with reasons why not and, obliging the parents, decide to work with children differently. What I mean now is parents lobbying for what they consider as extra-curricuiar activities included in the morning schedule and supervised by external specialists. As a result, teachers are in conflict with their professional competencies and rather become distributors of children to various extra­ curricular activities, finding an outlet to their educational work in free games. What might be the other reason why most kindergartens do not know what to do in this respect? Is it just the concern that parents might put their children in another kindergarten? Or is it lack of professional confidence as well? Could it be the concern about how to argue in favor of the child and one’s own work vis-a-vis parents? Is it aiso the fact that parents do not know what we do with their children? And whose fault is this? Or do we not feel like restructuring our work to find a suitable compromise? Teachers are all too often heard to say that they see their occupation as socially unrecognized. According to the above survey, however, the general public (70 non-parent- respondents) and an equal number of primary-school teachers recognize the job of a kindergarten teacher and consider it comparable to that of a school teacher as regards educational influence. Percentage wise: 62,5 % of the general public and 88,5 % of primary- school teachers. What are the grounds of the feeling of social non-recognition then? Other schoolteachers feel the same. In 2000, though, a countrywide survey proved that primary-school teachers ranked fifth in the hierarchy of recognized professions - which is not as bad compared to other occupations. Parents’ pressure counter to the needs of children for whom we are responsible when they are at kindergarten has to and will have to be coped with. Making compromise, arguing and letting them see our educational work, which should be of top quality based on our professional competence.