The thoughts of an elder, translated…
Some three decades ago, my older brother and older cousin’s children were born, the kids’ laughter resonated inside the big house, and naturally, as their auntie, I’d become, their queen; they’d loved playing Bo-peep with me, stepping on the shadows, chasing game, hopscotch, or sing along with the nursery rhymes, and sometimes, we’d made up our own fairytales too. My third eldest aunt and uncle saw how I’d played together with the children, they’d stated, “She will definitely become a kindergarten teacher.” I’d smiled and told, “Impossible! Why would I be in the realm of early childhood education?”
I’d never taken their words seriously, since I graduated college, I’d started working for a foreign trade company in the southern strips, until my husband changed tracks, and moved to the middle strip, where it wasn’t industrialized enough. After we’d settled down, all of a sudden, I’d felt, lost, not knowing what kind of a job I should find? If I can’t work an eight-to-five like I once had, how will I, take care of my children too?
not my photo…
As I was stressing myself out, I’d found, that there was, a kindergarten close by with a garden close by, I’d thought, why not send my kids there, and ask if there’s a fitting job for me there too; so, I’d, rung the bell, it was, the director who’d answered, after she’d heard me out, learned that I’d not have any backgrounds in early childhood education, but was still willing to give me a chance. More importantly, as my kids needed me, I’m, right there next to them.
In the kindergarten, there are, new challenges every single day, this kid would cry out of turn, that one refused to finish all his food, or, when you’re not paying attention, started, hitting each other, I’d become like a spinning top that spun around and around endlessly. But, as the kids quieted down, they’d become, cute as angels, spoke in their childish tones, “We love Teacher Hsiu! Because you’d held us, told us stories, taught us sing and dance!”, hearing their truthful words, no matter how tired I was, I’d felt it was more than worth it.
When the kids felt the love from you, they will, return it, more than you know back to you, this, was the drive for me to love my work; and, the other teachers, sharing their experiences in teaching with me so selfishly, to face the issues of parents and students, or going back to college to take more courses on early childhood education, getting our nanny certifications, it’d made my career as a kindergarten teacher so bright.
There’s that saying of, “Just do it!”, my third uncle and aunt may have been wise, to have seen my nature, and, at the right time, I’d met the right helpers, it’d, helped me turned my own life around. From nothing to something, I’d spent, over twenty years’ time accumulating my experiences as a kindergarten teacher, observed closely, every child’s actions, entered, into their worlds; they are like seedlings, some will grow up to be huge trees, some, into beautiful flowers, my hard work may be able to, cultivate a huge dense forest, and this, became, my favorite occupation, the field of education.
So, this seed of loving to teach started back when you were merely a young child, you’d gotten along so very well with your younger cousins, and, you’d naturally become, a great early childhood educator, because you have the patience, the love for children, and, you got along with the well, because you’re able to see and understand things from their angles, and that, is the most important thing in working with young children.