Schooled by Pre-Schoolers
Before joining the pre-award team at Virginia Tech, I spent nine years as the office manager for a prek-8 private school in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Because it was a small school, we all pitched in where needed and it wasn’t unusual to find me helping with nap time or out on the playground for recess duty. When COVID temporarily closed the school, I decided to return to my former occupation as a research administrator. I worried about the challenge of going from working with young children back to working with highly-educated and successful adults.
I worried for nothing because it turns out that, in many ways, being a research administrator and working with young children are alike. In both situations, the people we work with are diverse and passionate; there are a ton of rules to follow, and the stakes are high. Dealing with these variables in childhood education prepared me well to deal with them in higher education.
Some of the top things I learned from my pre-school friends were to, “Use my words,” and to remember that every human, no matter their age, background, or title, is a unique individual with unique needs who deserves to be treated with respect. Building relationships, with toddlers or adults, helps us learn how to get the job done in the best way possible for everyone. Unfortunately, when working with others there sometimes will be bullies, and every one of us, no matter how big or how small, has the right to hold up our hand, say, “No!” and go to an authority figure for help.
I know without a doubt that in both my roles, I would have been / would be lost without my team. Both jobs are too important and complex to put on any one person’s shoulders, and I was and am thankful for the many and various people who came together to form those teams. In my mind, my team includes all the people working toward a common goal. At the school, my team was made up not just of teachers and staff, but also by the kids themselves, their families, and the wider community. As an RA, our teams aren’t only the folks with similar job titles, it’s our faculty and their departmental support staff, as well as the countless other groups that support research in an institute of higher education.
I mentioned working toward a common goal, and it’s vital that we all remember what that goal is. It is not to keep a child quiet during show-and-share or to make a PI turn a report in on time. The goal is helping our teammates move forward in their academic or professional journey. As tempting as it can be to focus on the rules and regulations required both in a licensed preschool and an NIH proposal submission, it is vital that we keep in mind that we are not there to put up road blocks; we are there to help everyone be safe and successful.
Of course, the more rules there are, the more opportunities for mistakes, which may lead to hurt feelings and hot tempers – on all sides. Let’s face it, when patience is gone, nearly all of us revert at least a little bit to our younger self. The tricks we use to calm down a young human also work on even the oldest of us: take deep breaths, spend some time in your Peace Place, talk once emotions have calmed. Non-violent communication, mindfulness, and social emotional wellness can be helpful for all of us as we tackle high-stress, high-stake situations.
All that being said, I think the most important thing I learned from my young friends is there is always time to have fun. Being a research administrator doesn’t lend itself to play, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what we do. Now, please excuse me as I need to come up with some good puns for a group chat about the Virginia Peanut Board submissions.
Authored by Carol Volker, Pre-Award Associate
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
SRAI Catalyst Committee