Melis Temur - Whitney Child Centre

What was your initial reaction to working with children in this placement?

I was excited and nervous to start my field placement because this would be my first field placement ever. I was nervous being in the classroom and I didn't know how my first day was going to go with my field educator (FE) as well as the toddlers. Since I was a new face to them, I was unsure if I would be welcomed into the classroom. The first week was an orientation where I observed the staff and the toddlers in the classroom setting. In the third week, I had a conversation with my FE where she had told me she would like to see me take more initiative. This was the biggest challenge for me because I was seeing myself more of a student going in to observe rather than being one of the teacher members.

How did you overcome these hurdles — and what did you learn about yourself and your practice?

This was a challenge because I doubted  myself in a way because I was afraid of doing things in a ‘wrong’ way. To overcome this challenge I took my FE's feedback seriously and changed my perspective to take more initiative in the classroom. Even though this was something that scared me,  as I started to take more initiative to do things on my own in the classroom I realized that I could do things without being afraid to make mistakes because my FE is there to support me. Knowing that my FE would give me feedback and openly discuss concerns with me gave me the confidence to take initiative.

How did this field experience influence your plans for working in the early childhood sector?

I am a hands-on, experiential learner so this placement has shown me what it truly means to work with children. This experience has deepened my interest in early childhood education and has made me realize how important it really is to create an engaging learning environment for children.