“It is greater work to educate a child, in a true and larger sense of the world, than to rule a state.”
Willia Ellery Channing
Profoundness today, eh Spidey!
And apt, as always, to my situation.
I have completed my first week in my new classroom, with my first very own class.
A group of 30 children who are my responsibility for the next academic year.
That’s a BIG responsibility.
Yes, they are 4-5 years-old.
No, they aren’t going to learn how to write a novel/solve complex equations/create scientific formulas this year.
But what I will have to teach them is to love learning.
- How to hold a pencil
- How to count
- How to recognise their name and write it
- How to begin to read
Simple academics, but on top of that, and more importantly, I need to teach them how to be compassionate, caring individuals. I need to show them that the world doesn’t revolve around them individually, but rather they, and their actions keep our world turning.
I must show then that asking questions is not wrong, but a way of extending their own knowledge. Every question they ask can be explored, investigated.
I have to make sure they develop confidence; conquer the fear of “I can’t do that” and convert it into “I can’t do that, yet.” and further, to “I will try that” onto “I did it!”
It’s a tough job, being an Early Years teacher. The syllabus isn’t as cut and dried as other years.
But I have the joy of (hopefully) creating a stable foundation for my class. A solid beginning to their academic career, so they move forward with an open mind and joy of learning.
So… tell me, what is the first memory you have of school?
But I Smile Anyway... 