Kindergarten Corner
From Pre-K1 to Kindergarten … An Amazing Journey
By Eugene Mudarisov , English Lead Teacher , Ivy Bilingual School Eco-city Experimental Campus , Tianjin
Good day everyone !
My name is Eugene . I ’ m an English Lead teacher at Ivy Bilingual Kindergarten in Eco City , Tianjin . I ’ ve been with Ivy for three years now and hand on my heart , it ’ s been the most amazing time of my life ! I wanted to reflect on some memories , share some thoughts and experiences with anyone who ’ ll read this article .
During the past three years , I was lucky enough to stay with the same children and teachers . I think the fact that I ’ ve been able to watch these children grow and help them learn for such a long period of time played the most important role for me .
I clearly remember the first time when I walked in the classroom back in July 2015 . The kids were only 2-3 years old when I first met them , and it was the first bilingual Nursery class in my campus . These children were being separated from their parents for the first time in their lives . As we all know it ’ s never easy for a child to be away from the comfort of their own home , away from their parents ’ love or simply away from familiar faces . My mother is an early childhood educator with over 30 years of experience . She gave me the best advice - before you even think of how to teach these children , make sure they fall in love you , make sure they fully trust you , make sure they see more than just a teacher in you , try to become their best friend . It made perfect sense to me . I promised myself that I would do anything to create a cozy and loving environment , I would try to turn the classroom into their second home .
Building a relationship with each child was definitely a big challenge for me but it was super fun at the same time ! Some kids were really inviting and open to communication while others would simply burst into tears every time they saw me . What I learnt during my first semester in this class was that patience and love are the most powerful tools that can be used when you are working with kids . It took time and endless effort to connect ; to find the right approach for each individual , for each personality . Many times it felt like you ’ ve been knocking on a door that just won ’ t open . I strongly believe that the level of consistency and the amount of time we put in what we do determines the
An Ivy Education Group Publication