Welcome Everyone

Hi people, this is gonna be our first post, and I'm Kelly will introduce myself here first
I'm 20 this year, and I'm taking Diploma in Early Childhood Education in SEGi Subang Jaya College. I'm currently having my last semester of lectures before doing my practicum. I've started to teach the young chilren in my temple since 2008. Those children are 5-6 years old. I started to work since 2009 in a kindergarten and now currently working in a Montessori centre.

The reason why i would choose to be in this line is because I like small children. Well I know is easy for everyone to say that they like children, but it would be different when they need to get along with young children, teach them, or taking care of them. Well my passion came when I was one of the facilitator in children's camp which was organized by the youth group in my temple in 2005. Although those children are slightly older than in their early stage, but thats when I've got the interest in knowing more about young children. Besides, I believe that in Malaysia most of us were being thought with the traditional way when we're in our kindergarten or preschool where the teachers will just make sure that we follow the syllabus given. After i've started my course, I've learned that there are better ways to teach young children now. I find it really interesting, and fun to learn that way. Even I was having fun teaching that way. I find it easier for children to learn and they learn better and faster. With that my passion has increase and I really wanted to be a successful educator.

Well before this when I told most of my relatives that the course I'm taking now is related to teaching young children, and their first reaction was, "HAR?". To them being an early childhood educator is an easy job, and they find this is a job for people that are not so bright. Then they would ask "Why do you waste so much money to study this and just to become a kindergarten teacher?", then I told them that I might have my own centre in the future, and then they only thinks tat I'm successful. But to me, money isn't really the big matter, what matters is the young children. We being as the first teacher of the young children plays a big role in their life. We can actually guide them and change them to have a brighter future. To me doesn't mean you have to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, business man to be professional. The professionalism occurs on each person's attitude, the responsibilties they take towards their job. Being an Early Childhood Educator I would say that is also a professional job. Not every1 can be really patient to young children, even I would have to admit that sometimes i tend to loose patient towards young children. Now if you asked me what is my goal? I would say out proudly that I want to be a professional Early Childhood Educator, and I won't feel embarassed at all telling any1 that I'm a preschool teacher even thou my salary might be lower than the rest, but we're doing it for the young children, we are the 1 to guide them to have a better future.

Other than that, I'm really inspired by some of the theorist after knowing how impressive they are. Well we have Maria Montessori where she designed the materials for children to be able to construct learning on their own and at their own pace. Loris Malaguzzi that founded the "Reggio Emilia" approach where it vieows children as being competend, resourceful, curious, imaginative, and possess a desire to interact and communicate with others. Then we also have Friedrich Froebel who is known as the 'father of kindergarten' where he is the one to open the first kindergarten which was in Germany. We have Howard Gardner too, that is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, where we can know which way the children learn best according to their intelligences. And of course there's others such as Jean Piaget, Arnold Gessel, Parry Smith Hill and the rest. These people are the role models of ours that lead us to help children to grow and learn in a bettter environment. I will explain furthermore if you want to know more about the theorist, just leave a comment and either Anusha or I would try to provide as much informatioin as I can.

Well I guess i shall stop here, and I will continue on in my next post.
We will most probably sharing our experience or share some really helpful article especially about parenting, or even some interesting crafts and cooking lesson that you can do at home with your child.
Thanks for reading,

Cheers,

-kelly-