Personal and Professional Growth
Firstly, coming from a job field that involved short specific programs and structured sports that only allowed minor flexibility, my way of teaching/instructing has completely changed. I have a sports and dance background which requires structure and push/dedication to get there rather than considering HOW to get there. Since starting at a daycare my thought process has completely changed at work and at home in the aspect of how I teach. I think more about the process instead of the product with things. I want to create the experience for doing something.
One lesson I took from school this semester has been something that may be minor to others but also something I have thought about for a while. I've been told by many since elementary school that the first time they meet me they are intimidated by me, and in high school it never bothered me, I'm a little girl who intimidates people, cool! But to hear that as an adult, worries me. In class we talked about power posing, and how we should power to create confidence in ourselves. I don't necessarily agree with this, in the aspect that I learnt from a young age to "Fake 'til you make it" and it wasn't until this class that I realized maybe that's how I actually come off to people. I realized with my personality and my experiences from drama and dance that maybe I have over-exceeded the power pose. As important as it is to teach children confidence, I want to also work on, for myself, my non-verbal approaches. I need to be more self-aware of they non-verbal cues I have, and I don't mean I need to belittle myself into a smaller person but be more aware of how other perceive my stances. I believe since starting in a daycare setting, I have learnt to appreciate the little things within children. Getting to listen to their silly stories, that share so much about their personality, and their imagination. Appreciating the trust and bond between a child and teacher has improved my personal and professional relationships. Trusting people has been a hard thing in the past and I have typically been a very independent person. Since working with children, I have realized how important relationships and communication is in life. |