Through the eyes of a five year old...

As most of you probably know, I've spent the last two weeks on placement at Wulguru State School in a prep class of 23 kids. I was bracing myself for a pretty full on two weeks, but there was no way that I could have been prepared for just how much hard work teaching preps is. Patience and perseverance are vital at all times, not to mention love and discipline. I don't think I've been given so many hugs in my life, which I really love but also think is an important part of being a prep teacher. I know that some people disagree with that, and I understand why, but for a lot of these kids their teacher is the only constant in their lives, and when we are afraid to show them love, that only serves to reinforce any negative perceptions of their value that their precious hearts have formed. But anyway.. there's many more factors to consider in that topic, and I wasn't going to go into that here. Despite the fact that prac was a lot of hard work, I really enjoyed taking on the role of a teacher. Most of the time I feel like too much of a kid myself to think that I could get away with fooling anyone into thinking I'm some kind of authority figure. But it's different with preps. All you have to say is "I wonder who can show me the right way to sit.." and they cross their legs, sit up as straight as they can, puff their little chests out and look like they are about to explode from trying to please you. It's great. So apart from having love and attention doted on me for two whole weeks, one of the main things that I really enjoyed about prac was how much I learnt from 10 short days of experience. Listing everything that I learnt would be beyond the scope of this blog, and would no doubt be thoroughly boring, but I wanted to share a few of the things that I learnt while I was on prac. Because I am certain that my preps taught me more than I taught them!

One of the things I learnt is that, as a whole, we do a pretty poor job of embracing the language differences evident in children that are products of various cultures. I was sitting by a little Aboriginal girl in class when she turned and said to me "Miss, I can't talk properly". Now for a five year old, this little girl's English was really quite good. There are a few pronounciation issues that are a result of her slight accent, but nothing serious. I tried to resassure this little girl that she actually speaks quite well, but she was adamant that she couldn't talk properly. When a child thinks that their language practices are deficit simply because they differ from what is considered normal, I think we need to reconsider how we are interacting with culturally diverse kids. We send these kids to speech pathologists, OTs and counselors so that we can 'fix' their language problems. So that we can change the cultural uniqueness of these kids to match our hegemonic society. Sadly this often leads to kids feeling ashamed of their heritage. Maybe we need to adjust our mental framework of trying to find a 'solution' for these kids...

Something else I learnt on prac is that a child's simplistic view of relationships is something that we could learn from. When someone has a need, you find a way to meet that need. If someone is crying, you hug them. If someone is hurt, you put your arm around them. If you love someone, you tell them. If you appreciate what someone has done for you, you draw them a picture. Now obviously relationships are a little more complicated in the adult world than they are to a five year old. If I drew someone a picture in an attempt to show appreciation they would probably think I was trying to punish them. But kids get that if you love someone, or if you are thankful for the role that they have played in your life, you need to show them.

I also realised whilst on prac that we really do underestimate how powerful music is. If you walk into a prep classroom with a guitar, the kids are immediately transfixed on your every move. What is said through music often carries more meaning than if it was simply spoken. That can be scary sometimes. I couldn't believe how many preppies were running around the playground singing secular songs that they have probably heard on the radio in the car on the way to school that carry strong adult messages. The other day one of my preppies didn't have any food, so I walked her down to the Indigenous affairs officer's room. There were about half a dozen boys in there playing Xbox and just having fun. The kids were listening to the radio when 'Low' came on, and they straight away began singing and dancing. This group of boys knew all of the lyrics. If you know the song I am talking about, you'll realise this really isn't a positive thing. Half a dozen boys moving to the deep, pulsating beat and singing "She turned around and gave that big booty a slap" is something I found a little concerning. These boys were no older than 8. And I know that people will argue "They don't know what the song means! They just like the beat!" But I don't care, because that isn't the issue here. One day these kids will know the meaning of what they are singing, and will be increasingly immune to the depraved aspects of our society because it's what they've grown up with. Slowly more and more explicitly inappropriate lyrics will become acceptable and justifiable until we no longer know right from wrong. Until we no longer have boundaries. When everything becomes acceptable that opens the way for a whole realm of problems. We put posters on the walls that tell kids not to swear and to do the right thing, then we allow music that is explictly degrading and overflowing with foul language. We say to kids that language and behaviour that we don't allow in the real world is ok so long as it is kept within the confines of music. Good luck with that.

So those are just a few of the things that I have learnt while on prac. There are many more.. but I think that I have procrastinated enough for one day. I always seem to find something to write about when I have a tonne of work to do. Today I am writing up my prac report.. or that's what I should be doing anyway. But because this blog was actually about prac, I was able to justify writing it... :)