By Farah Radzuan
Talking about kids, what normally crosses our mind is a young person or a child. During the current semester break, I am working as a teacher at one of the kindergartens near my house. Sometimes people think handling of small kids is easier compared to being a teacher at a primary or secondary school. As for me, every field has its own challenges that one needs to face, same thing goes with being a kindergarten teacher.
We have to know that kids need attention from adults, just like human beings need air to breathe. Growing-up children struggle to find out in many ways how they can grab the attention of adults and what really drives them away. Children do not like when we don’t give them the attention that they are supposed to get, and by neglecting this, it might threaten their emotion.
Almost every morning I observe kids crying so loud to attract the attention of their parents to not go to school. But after their parents insist that they stay and just leave them behind at the kindergarten, only then they stop crying.
For sure there will be certain times during the learning period that they make noise, disturbing each other or even fighting in front of me, which easily drive me mad with them. But as an adult we have to know how to control our anger because when we get angry, there’s a tendency we do something that we do not expect to happen.
According to Utusan Malaysia, there were 1,531 cases of child abuse that has been reported in the last five years from March 2011 until March 2016, and the main cause of it is losing patience towards the children. As adults, we must be wise enough to control our anger and always keep calm.
As a teacher, I play a vital role in shaping their behaviour. I need to portray good manners in front of them because children tend to imitate what adults do. They are new to this world and still learning something new especially those related with manners. For example, if people give them duit raya, I will ask them to say “thank you” to that person. It might be a small thing to us, but it is a new lesson for the kids to learn how to behave.
In a nutshell through my working experience, when the child misbehaves we must avoid from scolding the child. Any negative reaction will immediately trigger more pressure on both sides. Just talk to them nicely and tell them what is wrong and what they should not be doing, and teach them the right way to do it, and they will listen to you. Put your focus on the children and not on their misbehaving.
If they do something good, show appreciation and give them compliments, and they will feel motivated to do something good or something extra. Remember that seeking for attention since birth is what they have set in their mind. For example, when they cry, their mothers will run to get them. Don’t blame them for acting in such a manner; as adults we have to teach them to get attention in an appropriate way.***