Talia Fakaua, Newcomer Centre of Peel

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

This placement really demonstrated the need for fluidity and adaptability. At this placement, there were stark differences in the way some children acted and responded to the teacher. I saw how the teachers often changed their approach on the fly to adapt to each child. This helped me reflect on what kind of educator I am and when my default behaviour management approaches are beneficial to children’s engagement and identify where there are gaps.

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

As the placement began, I found myself struggling with building relationships with the families of the children at the centre.  I wanted to make a change but didn’t know how to do that.  It was an intimidating and awkward experience to try to approach them.  

In the TMU seminar class, my Field Advisor discussed specific ways of  building relationships with families and I found these to be very helpful but I still felt anxious and troubled about making those connections.  

After class, I was able to talk one-on-one with my TMU advisor about my specific personal challenges with connecting with the families.  We discussed my doubts and she helped me strategize to find opportunities to find ways to speak with some of the families. Even though I was nervous, I put myself out there and tried to figure out new strategies I could use. 

For example,  I invested lots of time into building relationships with the children and this helped me have things to talk about with the parents. I also came back slightly early from my lunch break so that I could touch base with the families as they were waiting for the centre to open. Soon, I was able to build an easy going, friendly conversation with a number of the families and this made a big difference in my having a great placement experience.

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

Being able to build strong relationships with the children provides a good basis for  interacting with their families since we had a common focus: the child. And as I gained information from the family member, I was able to make an even greater difference with their child.  Although getting comfortable with interacting with families took lots of time and practice, the end result was that the placement experience gave me a safe space to work on my interpersonal skills. I know that this  experience will be so valuable moving forward in my future teaching career.