attention: “Eyes are watching, ears are listening, bodies calm, bodies calm.” In contrast, Alphonso's not so soft voice might be heard saying, “Alliyah, you did it! Warrior, this is a good one … Woo! Look at all the powerful warriors we have!”
The children particularly enjoyed Alphonso's “Dracula voice” and “monster voice,” often begging him to use one of them to read a story or when talking with them. These voices seemed to emerge more commonly when Marta was not there, when Alphonso functioned as lead.
On the playground both teachers were constantly vigilant for the safety of the children, and both showed continual positive interest and attention to them. But it was Marta, always the instructor and lead teacher, who followed up when the children discovered a grasshopper on the playground. As the children gathered to see it, Marta questioned them about it, helping them to observe it more closely. During a “building study” Marta gathered the children on top of the playground equipment to see and talk about the nearby buildings; when she was finished, she went down the slide and onto the playground. In his supportive role, it was Alphonso who made sure that all tricycle riders had their helmets in place. When Mia was climbing on a cinderblock wall, Alphonso sprinted across the playground and grabbed her, but gently lifted her down, and while holding her talked with her about the dangers.
Personal Interaction with Children. Both teachers were nurturing. Across the day, both constantly talked with the children, asked questions, and helped them think through problems, including what to do when conflicts arose and make plans for the day. During the time of teacher greeting, the children chose a particular greeting they wanted: a handshake, a hug, or a smile, for example. Marta wore a “greeting apron,” and each child would poke, touch, or point at one of the symbols printed on it. When Larry tapped Marta's apron and said, “I want a hug,” she responded, “I want a hug too”; she bent down and picked him up, and they exchanged a warm, affectionate hug. On one occasion when a mother left the classroom, her child began crying, Alphonso knelt and talked to the little girl face to face, close up. She hugged him, and he hugged her and rubbed her back. Another child entered: “You are wearing my favorite color!,” he said with loud enthusiasm.
Generally Marta greeted the children while Alphonso finished up meal preparation. When Alfonzo greeted the children as LT during Marta's absence, he also used the greeting apron but with a difference. As Marta explained, “He feels uncomfortable doing the greeting apron because of where it is, [of having children tapping his body]. As result, he invited the children to choose a greeting by pointing at the symbols himself or by asking the children to point at them. “A hug for you, too!” he would boom, chatting and laughing with them”.
Similarly, at story time Marta always had children sitting on her lap, sometimes two, melting together and into her body, and a child on each side, almost cuddling. Children also sat close to Alphonso, leaning on him, but he was cautious when allowing them to sit on his lap and then he did not pull the children into his body. An issue raised by Farquhar (1998) lingered in the background for Alphonso: He was acutely aware of others' concerns about child abuse, including supposed dangers involved when men work closely with children. In an interview, he described the dilemma:
In Head Start we're encouraged to build relationships with the children … to create almost a family environment. … I try not to have them sit on my lap, but there are times when I can tell that what they need is closeness, of almost being rocked. They need [to feel safe]. So, I … give them something that they need. I feel I'm in a safe environment with everyone I work with. They know me, [I'm] not going to [cross] the line. They know if I give that little extra physical [attention], it's because that child is really in need at that moment.
Marta took care of the all the bathroom problems and other incidents where movement or touching could possibly be misinterpreted. Alfonzo recalled,