When it comes to bringing up kids, there are 1001 factors and disciplines that go into nurturing a child to achieve their potential. David & Goliath Preschool spoke to 3 of its long-service teachers whom, between them, have over 100 years of teaching experience. They each share 1 or 2 values they believe are key to a child’s holistic development.
Mdm Kee, retired DGP teacher, shares that:
Parents are Role Models
“Children only spend a certain number of hours in school, most of their time and interaction is with family back home. Hence their daily habits, innate core values and self-regulation require guidance from parents. By cooperating and regularly communicating with teachers, this ensures an optimal nurturing environment for the children.”
Mdm Chan, retired DGP teacher, shares that:
Conversations Improve Social Skills
“I talk to the children so I know how to teach them better. For example, one child spoke English very well, even with an American slang, and I thought she might have come back after a stint from a foreign country. Yet, conversationally, she didn’t understand others well. I later learned that she had grown up in front of the TV because her grandmother was her caregiver while her parents worked. Plus they spoke dialect at home. We realise we need to interact with the child more in order to improve their social skills, comprehension, listening and speaking abilities. Each child is unique with their own personalities and backgrounds, we simply need to guide and train them well consistently.”
Quality Time Begins Early
“Parents need to spend more quality time with their children. When educating a child, we cannot discount the parents’ touch. My daughter-in-law is Japanese and they believe that personally bringing up children in the first 5 years of their life is key. And it’s true that kids need the company of their parents in their formative years. They plan for their children’s long-term growth, so they can train them in the right values from which they will not depart from.”
Mrs Dolly Teng, DGP Principal, shares that:
Personalised Academic Experiences are Sometimes Needed
“Different children have different milestones, and yet all of them are beautifully and wonderfully made. As a parent, we can design some activities for the child that is hyperactive as well as allow moments for those who are quieter to be more vocal. Even shyness in a child can reveal that they might have been shamed before, leading to their hesitation in socialising. As educators, we consider many facets of the child rather than dismiss certain behaviours.”
Don’t Neglect Emotional Development
“In preparing them for Primary 1 syllabus, parents already place much focus on their academics. There is room to monitor their emotional development, in order to catch and correct bad behaviour early. As a parent, I intentionally put aside some time weekly to do something meaningful with my children when they were young, busy though we may be.”