Competency Statement

As a qualified childcare practitioner with over 11 years' experience in Early Education and Childcare I have a wealth of experience and knowledge in working with children aged 0-5. Furthermore, being employed within a local primary school has given me opportunity to work with children ages 5-11 through frequent practical experiences. I have accrued many abilities and skills throughout my studies and career that would aid me in studying and work as a teacher; I am a nurturing person, which has allowed me to build strong relationships with children, parents and carers. Communication and team work are also skills that I have honed through my career. While I work competently as part of

What aspect of your professional training/experience has prepared you the most to be a kindergarten teacher?

I also helped teaching them songs or rhymes, playing games, cleaning up toys and cleaning up snack time. I did not realize the fun and excitement involved helping daycare children. It made me even forget that so much goes into just helping them stay organized. In addition, I learned more for volunteering at a daycare. As much as it was important for me to make sure children remain safe as they go about their duties, I was required to know some basic first aid and CPR. I was very privileged when they opted to teach and demonstrate to me the process involved in CPR so that I could be able to assist children and staff in case of any emergency. The job as a volunteer at the daycare required listening to children, offering comfort when needed like when they were dropped off at school and they looked sad. Again, at the daycare I noticed that play time was an important aspect. I realized that playing time with children helped children share with others and also help with their feelings through developing verbal and nonverbal communication skills. As a volunteer, the staff gave me the opportunity to participate in activities with the kids such as helping them with arts and crafts, reading, writing, dancing, singing, and playing games. Play time indeed helped the children to develop confidence which brought them out of their comfort zone. I think play time at the daycare helps motor

In 1889 Jane Adams along with Ellen Gates Starr, as the pioneer or "Mother" of social work opened the doors to Chicago's Hull House, which provided social services that included: child care; education in history, music, and mathematics; a library, employment assistance; as well as many others to immigrant communities in the city (NASW 60th Anniversary Interactive Timeline, 2016). Today, the philanthropic work of two women has become the field of social work, with thousands of professional social workers continuing the work they started. Like everything else, the field of social work has evolved over the years to to become a diverse and expanding field. According to the text “Social Work Values and Ethics” by Fredrick G. Reamer (2013), “at its infancy in the late

Continuing my professional growth in Early Childhood is very important to me. The way I could do that would be to learn more things about that area. Talk to different people that have knowledge in this type of expertise. Learn all of the qualifications that it takes to

Through working with 0-2 year olds it has provided me with opportunities and experience to acknowledge children’s needs by finding ways to communicate through body language. By having opportunities to extend by knowledge via different courses has allowed me to extend my knowledge. Although I have gained a

Upon first entering college, I struggled deciding at such a young age what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Through babysitting and volunteering with pre-school aged children at my church and through a school program called STARS, it became evident to me I had a love for helping children. It fascinated me to see how they viewed the world around them and how quickly they learned new truths everyday. Nevertheless, I knew I would not get the full enjoyment interacting with children as a schoolteacher because the teacher to student ratio is so large. Classroom demands would make it much more difficult to devot individualized attention to each student, and I did not like that concept. So

When I first started, figuring different ways to reach the children so that I can help them in learning.

Earlier this year I left for a 3-month mission trip to Swaziland, Africa. While I was there one of my leaders asked if anyone wanted to help out in the preschool. My hand shot right up! I had some experience with preschool

As a qualified level 3 practitioner I am responsible to fulfil my duties and work role to the best of my ability. In other words I always like to try to give my position my full attention and give it 100% of my time and dedication. I believe that this helps me to support the children in my reception class. I am always aware of the children within my setting that have SEN (Special Educational Needs) and try where I can to give them extra support although remembering the inclusive

Carnes who informed me of what it is like raising her son who has cerebral palsy and how the educational system worked with him over the years. Hearing what Ms. Carnes had to say about her experiences helped to give me a better understanding of what these parents have to go through, and it can give me an advantage if I have to work with parents who have children with disabilities. Because of her surprise at how much work the educational system is putting into training their new teachers, it created a high point in the interview, and I had a sense of pride in knowing that I am being trained to the best of my abilities. What truly surprised me is how much patience these parents have to have to raise a child with disabilities. To conclude, this interview made me slightly nervous over the amount of responsibilities I will have, but this course has helped me become infinitely more

For the longest time I could not decide on a major and a career to study throughout college. When I came to Georgia Southern University I discovered that they had a major that was very interesting to me. Sport Management id the ideal major for my interest and me. Since I love sports I figured that this would be the career for me. A degree in Sport Management helps to prepare for success in sport related occupations.

Everyone is drawn to confidence; it’s a proven fact. Although, you also want to make

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that in my future I wanted to become a teacher. I always looked up to my teachers, especially the ones I had in elementary school. I even played 'school' with my friends and pretended I had my own classroom. I loved being in charge. During a summer, I was given the opportunity to work as an Energy Express mentor and work with a group of eight children. This was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever been through. I was a mentor to help guide the children, and by the end of the summer I felt as if I had really accomplished something. I am planning to pursue a career in elementary education. I love children, and just knowing that as a

In the competitive world today, having a college degree might not benefit a student as much as before, thus opening up numerous questions concerning its necessity. Not only is the number of students desperately trying to enroll in college increasing, but the tuition shoots up as well. However, will college enrollment necessarily be enough to increase your chances of attaining job security? The answer is hotly debated amongst adults and students alike, which opens up the second option for students, that is, joining the work force. Although this option is generally shunned by the new generation, the tough economy and slow restoration makes it quite a desirable choice at the moment. Joining the work force is a hard decision to make as it