I was only 16 back then.
Being the youngest in the centre, there's a lot for me to learn from the scratch. Washing little bums after the children finished their daily 'businesses' is a regular affair. Working shift hours at random, to cater to the needs of other colleagues with families, is our way of showing care for all the team members.
Parents are concerned more about child minding services during that period as both parents need to work to support the family. Little was expected of their academic but mainly about their kids' safety. The children enjoy coming to the centre for playmates and quality time with their caregivers.
As time passes, I begin to seek an interest to improve my knowledge about child development. After completing my 1st working year with the centre, they approved my request to go for further studies in Early Childhood Education.
Back in those days, there were only Basic, Inter-medium & Advance certificate courses for educators. After completing each course, I was bonded to my centre for 1-2 years each for the different courses I took.
Finally when diploma in Early Childhood Education was introduced, I choose to study on my own. Mainly due to that I do not wish to be bonded to any centre for 4 years.
Studying is always a good way to keep oneself abreast of the current teaching methods. Sharing of ideas with other educators is another way to improve oneself of better knowledge of child development.
As there are different centres coming up with varies educational approaches (Multiple Intelligences/Project Approach/Montessori, etc) , it is wiser to expand my knowledge to learn from other senior mentors in the field. So moving onto other centres is ideal for intra-personal development to compare the pros and cons of the approaches used and eventually starting my home-based services.
