In this series of chats with our staff, we get up close and personal. They share about things like their favourite drinks, to their experiences and motivations at work.
Hi, could you introduce yourself? I’m Reetha and I am a English Teacher for the Playgroup kids at Woodlands Centre. I’ve been with PPS for almost 2 years.
My centre is inclusive, meaning we include students who have special needs. I get to teach both atypical and typical children in the same classroom, so children learn to understand that those with needs are not ‘difficult’ – but they can all learn together.
What does a typical day at work look like?
Everyday we have routine time, interactive play sessions and scheduled lessons. Everyday is fun – it’s tiring at times but the fun part with children is seeing them learn new things.
How do you make learning fun in your classroom?
We have a lot of varieties in teaching methods – I feel my children learn things in different ways. They learn through water play, nature walks, etc.
We don’t always learn in the classroom, we try to make it more innovative. In fact, water play is something new that we have introduced recently, but it seems like my children are having so much fun with it. They try to express themselves – they ‘splish and splash’ with their friends, and because of this freedom to play and interact they are able to get to know their friends better. They also communicate with us teachers verbally – using simple words like ‘water’, and ‘splash’. They really get to learn through such small experiences everyday.
What is a pick me up that you need to keep you going?
I love chicken rice, and as a teacher, I need coffee!
Do you have any hobbies outside of work?
I do go trekking sometimes, I like to explore nature during my ‘me time’. Being a teacher, I do need to collect a lot of stuff. So I use my free time to collect things from nature and recyclables too.
We should always focus on the child’s interests and what they like. We have to develop the lessons and learning around their interests too instead of us putting focus just on what we are ‘supposed’ to teach.
What is one quality that a teacher must have?
Passion, patience and to look at the future in a different perspective – not always pushing children to do what you want them to do. We should always focus on the child’s interests and what they like. We have to develop the lessons and learning around their interests too instead of us putting focus just on what we are ‘supposed’ to teach.
Why are preschool teachers so important in children’s lives?
Every teacher is very important in every child’s life – but for us we create the foundation for their learning because we are the first teachers they have and we guide them through their early years of growing.