Monday, April 09, 2007
Children- The Adornment of My Life, My Neverland
I consider myself lucky in the sense that I have a job that I enjoy greatly, mainly due to the reason that I get to interact very often with children and youth.
As part of my work in March, I was to observe lessons held in a childcare centre for nursery and kindergarten children. Boy, I had fun!
Initially, the children were a little perturbed by my unexpected intrusion of their daily routine. They asked their teacher who I was and why was I there. They were fascinated with my bag, my camera, my earrings, my necklace, my watch, my notes etc. Basically, they were just curious about this new stranger in their clssroom.
Gradually however, they began to warm up to me as I warmed up to them. Soon, they welcomed me to join their class and affectionately addressed me as "Teacher Kelly". I could tell that they looked forward to seeing me when they greeted with their bright smiles and commented on my clothes and accessories. some of them even sat on my lap during lesson time.
The highlight of the six-day observation was a field trip to a primary school on fifth day. By then, there was an unmistakable bond between Ryan and me. Ryan caught my eye with his boyish looks on the first day. He was simply adorable. Being a friendly boy, he had no problem getting to know me and I definitely appreciated his attention even though it can get a little overwhelming at times. During the trip, Ryan took the initiative to stay close to me and putting his little hand into mine- a sweet gesture which was immensely rewarding for me.
For six days, these children chatted incessantly with me, asked me unexpected questions which I had no answer to,replied me with "out-of-the world" answers and made me laughed with their cute expressions and actions. On my last day, I gave each of them a pencil as a souvenir. I also gave Ryan a photo we took together. When they learnt that it was my last day there, they asked, "Why are you not coming back anymore?". The farewell moment was sad but sweet. Ryan surprised me by throwing me a big hug, of which the rest of the children followed suit. How I hated to leave the six days X two-hours of Neverland I had!
In my short-lived Neverland stay in , I see a wonderful bunch of kids but often hyperactive and restless, thus requiring lots of patience to handle. I am full of admiration for the childcare teachers because I have witnessed for myself how tiring and difficult it is to control a group of kindergarten children. They play the guiding role to the early childhood years of the children tirelessly despite their mediocre pay. Kudos to these patient teachers!
Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them. Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them. Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him. Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it.
-Pamela Glenconner
Ate Apple Pie@
Monday, April 09, 2007
