What influences have you had in your life that you have transferred to the life of your children and their education?
My upbringing for sure, especially from my maternal grandmother, who always put her children and us grandchildren as a priority. Also I was lucky to attend a youth centre from a young age and had a wonderful catechist who took care of us like we were her own children. She instilled in me the virtue to love and take care of others without expecting anything back, thus also inspiring me to become an educator.
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?
To make reading as a fun experience, not focusing on the technicalities such as letters and sounds from a very young age. I really don’t like the idea of teaching children as young as 2 years about phonics. I think it removes the fun out of the reading experience.
What particular book genre do you believe are lacking in the 5-10y year-old age bracket?
Although I haven’t bought books of that age gap yet, from browsing websites and book shops for my own son, I have seen a lock of history books that are geared for that age. For children to know what happened before they were born is important, especially the history of their own country. I find it appalling that adults are not familiar with their own country’s history, so it would be great for young children to learn about history.
As a mother and professional, how do you find the time to ensure that your child gets some reading time in?
I plan everything, that is my OCD. I write lists and plan my days to be able to find time for everything, but especially quality time with my son. Also I had to give up other activities which I used to do before I had my son as time is limited and I do most of the housework since my husband works very long hours.
How did motherhood change the way you viewed the importance of education?
Education was always important to me, from when I was young I loved learning and studying, which is one of the reasons I became an educator as well. However when I became a mother, I felt the responsibility of bring up my son in an environment that made learning fun but important as well.
What is the one thing you would like to see implemented in schools today?
I have a million things that I would like to implement, but for me the most important ones are syllabi which reflect teaching of important life skills, less theoretical subjects but more practical and hands on activities and more physical activities.
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