Our vision of children

We all hold a set of personal core values and beliefs. Quite often these influence how we see children and how we conduct ourselves in our day to day lives within our classrooms. I value active participatory learning and therefore aim to support children through their active engagement with the environment, the people around them and the materials provided. Think to yourself, how do you see children? What is your vision of a child? I, for one, see children as competent individuals with a multitude of strengths and abilities. I believe a classroom of children offer us a world of possibilities where no task is out of reach. Each of the children we care for provide us with endless opportunities to further support their learning and development. Through the relationships we build with children and their families, the moments of play we observe and an open-mind, planning becomes a fun and enjoyable time in the day of an early years practitioner.

I once found documenting the experiences we were providing in the classroom to be quite difficult. I struggled to share the learning in a way which would be meaningful to both children and their parents. I then came across the idea of writing letters to the children and started writing stories in this format. I first began reading the stories I wrote to the children involved and surely enough they were ecstatic! Who wouldn’t love a story where they were the main character and even at a very young age they recognise the experience? They promoted conversations among the youngest of children and became a great way for children with limited or no speech to share their experiences from their classroom with their parents, creating connections between home and the setting while strengthening the budding relationships.

I soon realised that my vision of the child was embedded within each of the stories I share such as ‘Independent Lady’ and ‘The budding designer’. Writing from the heart allows me to share the experiences I am lucky to be part of each day, in a way in which both children and parents can relate to. Without these stories the amazing moments that I witness each and every day may be lost and soon forgotten in the busy day to day running of the classroom. I aim to show respect for children throughout my learning stories as I do within the classroom environment. As children grow learning stories are a fantastic method in showcasing their strengths and abilities from before they can walk or talk, creating an image of a competent and confident child will support them throughout their entire lives.

Bio:
My name is Alicia Cormican and I am an early years practitioner working within the sector for the last 7 years. I recently completed a BA honours degree in Early Years Teaching and Learning in Maynooth University. I am dedicated to up-skilling and engage in continuous professional development in order to support the children in my care to the best of my abilities.