Handout 6: Dilemma Cards*

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Dilemma Card 1 On a field trip, you overhear the following conversation between the bus driver and a parent: Bus Driver: Did you see that? La Toya hit that boy again. I've been having a lot of trouble with them fighting on the bus. Will you please tell her that our rule is no hitting on the bus? Parent: Well, I tell her to hit back. What else is she supposed to do? Bus Driver: She's not allowed to hit. She's supposed to tell me when something's bothering her. We just can't have her hitting and hurting other children. Parent: She doesn't start it. I tell her she doesn't have to put up with that. I don't want her run ning to you every time she needs help. Discussion Points What is the bus driver's point of view? What is the parent's point of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 2 You are a volunteer in the 3-year-old room. The children enjoy making collages. They love to paste, glue, and create their own patterns. You go to the kitchen to ask the cook for some dried macaroni, dried beans, and rice for the children to glue on cardboard. The cook says he doesn't have any. Later, you notice several bins of dried macaroni of all shapes and sizes. When you ask him about it, the cook says that he will need that macaroni later. Discussion Points What is your point of view? What is the cook's point of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 3 You make a home visit to a housing complex. You find the manager arguing with the grandmother of a child in your program. The manager says the grandmother is breaking the rules by making an ugly mess in the complex. The grandmother insists that she has a right to plant vegetables. She says she always shares the crop with her neighbors and that the manager is being unfair. You learn that the grandmother has tomato plants, bean plants, and okra planted in the strip between the street curb and the sidewalk. Discussion Points What is the apartment manager's point of view? What is the grandmother's point of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 4 You have enough money in the budget to pay for a very popular speaker to come to your center for a three-hour program. Some parents and staff want to have the program during the morning when children are in the classroom. Several of the working parents have asked to have the program in the evening so they can attend. The speaker does not want to come on a weekend because that is her family time. Discussion Points What are the differing points of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 5 As you let Angela off at the bus stop, you say hello to her mother, who is waiting. Her mother tells you that she is upset to see Angela dirty again-her dress is mussed, her braids are full of sand, and she has paint under her fingernails. You think the mother is being unfair, and does not realize what a good day Angela had at the center. Discussion Points What is your point of view? What is the mother's point of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 6 Head Start is organizing a field trip to the state capital. You have reserved enough buses to hold all the parents and children from your Head Start program. To your surprise, some families do not wish to come and others do not want to take their children, even though there is a lot to see and you think the trip will be fun. Discussion Points What is your point of view? What might be the families' points of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 7 A mother brings her child in for a follow-up health check. You are concerned because the child is still congested. She also is wheezing and coughing. You ask the mother if she has taken the child to the clinic. She says she is treating her child with tea and a chest wrap at night. She is certain the child is doing better. You think that the child really needs to be seen by a doctor. The mother disagrees. Discussion Points What is your point of view? What is the mother's point of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 8 Every morning, a mother carries her child into the room. She removes the child's coat, carries the child's things into the classroom, and sits for a while. The mother seems to hang over the child, doing things that the child can clearly do for herself. You suggest to the mother that you feel the child will separate more easily if she does not stay so long in the center. You also point out that her child is well able to walk and does not need to be carried. The mother does not respond to you, but looks at you as if she does not understand. Discussion Points What is your point of view? What is the mother expressing through her behavior? What are the possible sources of conflict? How would you suggest resolving it?

Dilemma Card 9 The planning committee has money for refreshments for a family night event. Some of the com mittee members propose buying popular snack items. Other committee members feel that Head Start should model good eating habits. They suggest buying healthy food such as fresh fruit and real juice, even if it costs more and may make some children or families less happy. Discussion Points What are the different points of view? What are the possible sources of conflict? How might you suggest resolving it?

*Adapted with permission from Aspen Systems, Inc.





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