Perfectionista Post

 Wow, I cannot believe that I am almost at the tail end of my course. I remembered my friends were challenging me the year before when I told them I want to go to the early childhood industry. They felt that I was just saying for the sake, because I have been saying I want to slim down but never did. HAHAHA! I felt indignant when they said that as I always finished my studies no matter how good or bad I did. To the point they recorded it!  A week more to the end of my final practicum stint. Unbelievable, a year almost flew by! I found this year to be the most fruitful and I find I have so much growth in terms of new knowledge and skills. I really love my 2023. I started my year in pieces but I managed to turn it around and made my 2023 fantastic. We all decide our own road and our destiny, really. That's why I am terribly annoyed by people who always made themselves victims of circumstances and wallow in self-pity. There is no need to. Opportunities are always there, but only ...

I spent this year's Vesak Day at Lian Yi Hui to volunteer at Teacher Kiwi's event for wheelchair-bound elderly from nursing home for their Vesak Day celebration. I was stunned when I reached level 8, all the Lian Yi Hui volunteers lined up and welcomed me so warmly when the lift doors opened. Actually, they mistook that I was from the nursing home. HAHAHAHA Anyway, they came earlier than stipulated time. So immediately after I paid my respects to Buddha, we got to work immediately by arranging chairs.  Teacher Kiwi is really experienced in such events. He could talk to all elderly and asked them about their dialects. I'm like shucks I cannot talk much dialect even though I am Hokkien. Mental note to practise Hokkien, but then never really got down to learning it.  After we settled the elderly, we had a short briefing and practised singing the song for candle possession. Teacher Kiwi got his friend who is a guitarist and another friend who is the official photographer. There...

 Time whizzed by the past few weeks, suddenly it's 2nd last week of March.  One module down. One more finishing this week. Two more modules to complete before practicum starts. I never felt so accomplished in such a short period of time. Completed an interview, a play experience, wrote a group assignment, 2 individual assignments, finished my part of another group assignment which is going to be due next week. There is also a group presentation next Monday. Completed one online quiz and an online in class observation assignment the past 2 Mondays respectively. There is really a lot to learn about child development.  I only knew about Montessori because my kindergarten adopted the Montessori method. Now I know there are so many theorists on child development. People like John Locke, Froebel, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, McMillian sisters, John Dewey.....  I wondered who were the Chinese theorists. We only know Confucius, but who were the ones that were...

How many people are willing to be student again as an (working) adult? Or even dare to?? LOL I am really grateful to be able to be given the chance to study to be an early childhood educator. After a big round, 7 years of working life post graduation, 15 years of additional schooling leading to nowhere, I am back to where I should be, where the flame of life and passion is still slowly burning, yet steadily. I don't know if my lecturers were disappointed, but my mum is certainly a bit disappointed that I didn't use my diploma nor degree in my past 2 jobs. She is, however, very supportive in my current mid-career switch to early childhood.  "Stable job to retirement!" "Should have studied this from the very beginning!"  "Waste money on the extra diploma and degree!" Aiyah, how I know? Life turns in mysterious ways. Maybe that time have affinity with those schools and courses and jobs mah, and the people in it. Maybe I just had to spend the amount of...