Part-Time Work
Here I am asking children the letter sounds. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
Assistant Teacher/Adjunct Relief Teacher
Curious Thoughts Academy
August 2020 - Present
To earn some income, I worked as an assistant teacher at Curious Thoughts Academy. After a year of working here, I was offered the role of adjunct relief teacher.
What Did I Do?
Assistant Teacher:
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I assist the Main Teacher in supervising children and reinforcing classroom rules using positive discipline techniques
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I assist the Main Teacher in classroom teaching such as guiding children to hold pencils with the correct tripod grip and revising letter sounds with the children
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I help to take photos and videos and upload them to Google Drive and Taidii
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I help to ferry the children Level 1 to their respective classrooms
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I help to ensure the well-being of children at the centre
Relief Teacher:
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I relief teach when a Main Teacher is absent
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I revise with the class the letter sounds and help to grasp the new letter sounds
A gift received from a child for Teachers' Day. Face of child is blurred due to privacy reasons.
The children were tasked to pick the correct letter sound.
Skills I Have Developed:
Communication:
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I also learnt how to communicate with children in an effective way. I made sure to use short and clear sentences and used non-verbal cues such as hand gestures and eye contact. I also crouched down to the children's level.
Creativity:
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As a relief teacher, I am required to relay the lesson in a fun and engaging way. Hence, I have to come up with different ways so that the children are engaged during the entire duration of the lesson.
Challenges I Faced:
As an Assistant Teacher:
One of the challenges I faced as an assistant teacher is not knowing when to step in as needed. One of the roles of an assistant teacher is to help the Main Teacher is reinforcing classroom rules in class. However, different teachers have different expectations. To counter this issue, I will ask the Main Teacher about what she requires me to do during the session. This allows me to internalise what I have to do during the class.
As a Relief Teacher:
My main challenge as a relief teacher is not being familiar with the class dynamics. Each class is different and hence, there is no textbook method of teaching a class. To combat the challenge, I approached the Main Teacher of the class and asked her more about the class. I would ask her about the reading and writing abilities of each child and other things to take note of (i.e., some children would wait for their sibling(s) hence, they will stay back after class ends).
Here, I am going through sight words with the class. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
I am reading one-to-one with a child. Face of child is blurred due to privacy reasons.
Key Takeaways
I am thankful to be given the role of a relief teacher on top of being an assistant teacher here. Working at Curious Thoughts Academy allowed me to hone the skills and knowledge that I have. It also further ignites the spark in working with children.