What influences have you had in your life that you have transferred to the life of your children and their education?
Reflecting on my childhood and personal experiences, I firmly believe in the importance of playing an active role in my daughters’ education. I do see the benefits of this not only as a mother but also as an educator. Ever since my daughters’ were young, my husband and I tried to instil the love for reading and education in general. As a family we always gave education a priority and always encouraged our daughters to see education as a vital tool for life. I’ve also been brought up to respect my educators and we try to instil that in our family too.
With high importance placed on literacy for a child’s educational development, what aspects of reading to a child do you think is most important?
In my opinion, reading to children is very important. Apart from the bond it creates because it is a way of spending quality time together, it has lots of educational benefits. A child who is read to has better communication skills especially when after the story is finished there is further engagement in conversation. There is opportunity for talking about the story, discussing emotions brought about by the book and maybe also discussing the possibility of a different ending. Reading aloud enhances critical thinking and helps increase a child’s vocabulary. I think it develops a love for reading from a young age.
What particular book genre do you believe are lacking in the 5-10y year-old age bracket?
As time goes by one can notice a vaster variety of books available on the market, books which are more appealing to children of different ages. Although as an educator, I have seen improvements, I tend to realise that Maltese publications are still limited. When buying books my daughters’ still readily choose books in English because they find them more appealing. As children grow older, especially closer to the age of 10, I feel that certain genre become limited, thus children tend to opt for the English language because there is more choice.
As a mother and professional, how do you find the time to ensure that your child gets some reading time in?
I must admit it was easier to get them to read when they were younger. Today, they have so many after school commitments, that our afternoons are packed to the brim. The only time left available is bedtime reading and weekend reading. Having said that, I still manage to do some reading after homework time with my youngest, at least a page or two on most days. I must admit she sees this more as a chore rather than reading for pleasure. My daughters enjoy reading time with their dad most of all. They are reading the Harry Potter series together and then we enjoy a movie night as a family where we watch the film after each book.
How did motherhood change the way you viewed the importance of education?
I’ve been in the classroom since I was 19. Even before I thought of having children I could imagine what type of mother I wanted to be. I could see myself giving priority to education and sitting with my children after school to make sure they were well followed at home. When I did actually become a mother I stepped into the role with ease. It takes a lot of planning and juggling around with time but when there’s the will, you’ll certainly find your way around things.
What is the one thing you would like to see implemented in schools today?
I would certainly love to see children given more opportunities for critical thinking. Children need to be given opportunities to explore and work on things hands on. We tend to focus a lot on academics, assessments, exams as if it’s the only thing that matters.
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