Teacher Fiona - Empowered to Add Value to a Child’s Life

 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Fiona has come full circle. She is now a pre-school teacher at Saint James’ Kindergarten where she spent her early years. Even though the principal and teachers who taught her have already moved on, her fond memories of her experiences remain. Fiona’s daughter is also a student at the kindergarten.

There are many reasons why one would enter the Early Childhood industry. For Fiona, her transition into motherhood kindled her interest in the profession. She wanted to learn the ropes of caring, nurturing and educating a young child. As she delved deeper into her understanding of Early Childhood, she discovered her passion for the little ones and her desire to provide quality education for them.

 

Fiona demonstrates her creative flair in her approach to teaching children. Whether it is Mathematics, English or Art, she takes special care to make the lessons interactive and hands-on. For instance, she would reinforce the teaching of “tricky” words to children by playing a game with them at the big plaza of the kindergarten. She will call out specific words, and the children will identify the right words, run towards them, and pick them up. This not only improves their literacy abilities but their gross motor skills as well. Fiona meticulously fine-tunes her lessons to pique the interest of her children. She would make even seemingly boring subjects come alive. She believes that the children will have fun learning when she has fun too.

Moreover, the unpredictability of children always brings pleasant surprises to the job. Apart from the usual routines, each new day offers novel experiences for the children. As they are growing and learning, Fiona is prepared to listen to the different stories that they offer during class and assures her children that they are loved and valued.

The intangible rewards keep Fiona looking forward to each new day with her children. She is energised by the simple smiles on the children’s faces, their boisterous greetings of “Aunty Fiona” and their hearty hugs. She also enjoys hearing them share about their friends and family. These little things bring her contentment because the affection and trust she receives from the children are priceless.

 

Even though teachers and parents may differ in their teaching pedagogies, Fiona believes in the importance of parent-teacher partnership. With good communication and understanding, teachers and parents can work hand-in-hand in the upbringing of children.

Fiona may be young, but age matters little when it comes to her dedication and love towards the young ones.

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