Glen Education Aspendale North
Magical Moments
Kate Warren Smith, Early Childhood Teacher
There are so many magical moments each day that put a smile on our faces and make us laugh and yes sometimes cry. But through it all it’s the little things, the spontaneous adventures, the endless stories and creations and the special moments experienced with the children, which is the reason why we choose to work in early childhood. When a child runs to you on arrival and gives you a cuddle and says ‘I missed you’, that is when you know you have the perfect job, it completely melts your heart.
A gorgeous moment that we would like to share with you was during one of our conversations with one of the girls, who on arrival, decided to share with the staff what had happened over the holidays. With drama in her voice and her eyes raised she began her story. ‘My sister gave me lots of cuddles because she loves me and she gave me soooo many cuddles that she gave me lice’. It was such a beautiful spontaneous moment, that put a smile on all our faces and yes it did give us the urge to want to have a little scratch!!!!
There is nothing more satisfying than when a child settles at kindergarten, after struggling with the anxiety of letting mum or dad leave for so many months. To witness as they finally become happy and confident in their environment, to be comfortable to wave goodbye to mum or dad and to watch them as their friendships begin to grow. It is such a joy to see their confidence grow daily as they explore their environment and become comfortable to join in activities with their peers and to show complete engagement, enthusiasm and enjoyment.
We have a couple of future designers, or maybe removalist's, in our midst at Glen Aspendale North. We have a few children that absolutely love to create new and exciting areas to explore and enjoy. Each day they gather items from around the kindergarten room, and then look for new spaces to create and build their own areas of interest. It may be a corner, or behind the couch, but it is always a new location, with a new story each day and new additions to include and there is always of course, lots of laughter, giggles and discussions along the way. On one of these occasions they created a shower, with sponges to wash themselves, which they had found in one of the drawers, it was hilarious. They do love to explore and discover and it inevitably always ends up with the girls collecting their lunch boxes and drink bottles from the trolley and then settling down together to enjoy a picnic snack.
Inclusion is an area where we make such a difference to so many families and is again an area that can sometimes be a little challenging, but it is so rewarding when you witness a child making progress and the joy, happiness and elation it brings to the family. We offer a strength based program, – what we can do, not what we can’t do, i.e. communication delays – hearing a child who is extremely anxious speaking with peers/adults for the first time and by using an alternate communication system, (Auslan, Picture exchange system, Board maker, Key word signs), to not only have their needs met, but to share happiness, excitement and joy is such a delight. For families to feel comfortable and welcomed and for the communication to be open and free and for their voices to be heard, this is a true reflection of why we make a difference in our roles as educators. It is so rewarding and uplifting when families approach staff and say thank you for all the support and continued care and for making them feel valued, included and welcomed and for making such a difference to their child’s world and their family.
When children adapt their play to be inclusive of a child who may have additional needs, be diverse in culture, have speech difficulties, hearing difficulties or behavioural difficulties, communication delay, or extreme anxiety, it is truly rewarding to watch as they share their adventures with other children, or to be there to witness a child speak with their peers/adults for the very first time, that is the magic of working with children.
Witnessing children as they build their own stories whether it is through drawings, paintings, buildings, discovery or creating, is a joyous part of the day. There is nothing more rewarding than listening to a child as they build on their story with imagination, creativity, enthusiasm and enjoyment. To be present and to watch as they beam with pride when they put the finishing touches to their artwork or building and to watch as they proudly share what they have created by showing their friends and the staff, is such a special moment.
When a child finally conquers their fears of climbing that little bit higher, when they take a risky situation and attempt it with courage and conviction, when they go all the way across the monkey bars for the very first time after so many attempts, when they are successful at finally having the courage to take that leap and jump from the top of the fort onto the mat below, or when they decide to overcome their anxiety of jumping into the large puddle in the dirt patch. To witness the sheer joy of achievement, satisfaction pride and accomplishment on their faces ‘I did it’ this is truly a wonderful sight to see.
This week we welcomed a new little friend at Glen Aspendale North. A few of the boys discovered we had a little visitor hiding in our block corner, a very sweet little gecko who became very spoilt and looked after so well by so many of the children. What an exciting find this was for the children. It was lovely to witness how the children became inquisitive as to what he might eat and to be so concerned about his wellbeing. Kate managed to find just the right home for our new friend, with a window for us to watch him settle into his new surroundings. A name was chosen ‘Lizard the Gecko’ and it was a unanimous decision that after a little while we would let him go back into his natural environment where he would be a lot happier. This was a beautiful spontaneous shared learning experience for the children.
At Glen ANK we are fortunate to have a class set of puddle suits- a rainy day opens up a whole new experience of outdoor play, an experience often only seen through the windows at home.
The joy of catching raindrops on our tongues , the sound of rain dripping into metal pots and pans, the splash of mud as the dirt patch transforms into a slippery, sloshy, squelchy space perfect for stomping in boots or for big trucks to go exploring.
The JOY on the children’s faces as they explore a rainy day is sunshine to a gloomy winter’s day
We could go on forever with so many magical, funny, joyous moments, but through it all with all the challenges we may face each day, with all the extra paperwork and endless emails and demands, the special moments truly outweigh them all. Each day is always so unpredictable and mostly always fun and sometimes exhausting, but where else can you be in a role that brings you laughter, enjoyment, amusement and spontaneity every day.