TNAP: Hi Criselle, tell us more about yourself!
I was educated to be a nurse but I am now a teacher by heart. With my Degree in Nursing and Certificate in Infant and Toddler Development, I am equipped to nurture children who are 2-18 months old and have been doing so for three years now.
An effective and good teacher is someone who uses not only her intellect to impart knowledge on young minds, but also exhausts all her capacities/capabilities to rear children to become the best person they can be.
The late Magda Gerber’s philosophies of respectful infant and toddler educaring has greatly influenced the way I interact with children daily, providing them gentle care and spending quality time with them.
The experience that left a great impact in my role as a teacher is when a mother, during one of our quarterly Parent-Teacher conferences, welled up in tears of appreciation for me and my team’s hard work, love and care for her daughter.
There is no doubt that most teachers possess enough resilience and love for the children they teach daily. However, teachers may also continuously strive to build stronger bonds with parents and the community at large. If done so, the benefit ultimately goes out to the children as well.
TNAP: Parents sometimes put teachers on a very high pedestal and expect a lot from them. What do you wish more parents knew about the teaching profession?
It is important for everyone to know that the teaching profession is a noble one. It involves not only one’s mind power, but also requires investing in one’s physical strength, heart and soul – thus one’s whole being.
Teaching is where all other professions, whether modest or aristocratic, bloomed from.