EDITOR'S NOTE Since RTRC Asia began training early childhood educators in 1990, we have had more than 7,000 graduates. Most of our graduates have gone on to become successful early childhood teachers, helping to influence and develop young lives. Many have also embarked on academic programs and have emerged as leaders and trainers in this field. We are proud of the progress and professional development of our graduates. As new discoveries and developments are made in the early childhood field, it is therefore important that a link be created among professionals for the purposes of sharing and networking. RTRC Asia eNewsletter aims to achieve this through the convenience of technology at your own time. We hope that you will take some moments from your busy schedule to browse through the pages of this newsletter as we bring you an exciting mix of information, from updates on the latest research in the early childhood field, details about our courses and upcoming events, to a glimpse in the lives of our trainers. We would also like to invite you to send in your comments about our newsletter or any articles that you may deem informative to your colleagues in this field. You are also encouraged write to us about the problems that you may encounter in your work with children. Although we may not always be able to answer every query, we assure you that we will try to render you the required support through the articles in our newsletter. So without further ado, we would like to wish you "Many Moments of Happy Reading"! From the desktop of. WHAT'S HOT CONTEST! E-mail us with your idea of what the RTRC Asia E-newsletter should be called and if your name is chosen, you can stand a chance to win a $50 Tangs Voucher! PROFESSIONAL FOCUS AND RESOURCES The benefits of mentoring are tremendous for all parties involved: the student, the mentor, the organisation & most important of all, the field of early childhood education. Mentoring facilitates the professional development of student teachers as they learn & benefit from the experienced teachers during field practicum. Much of this knowledge and wealth of experience is intangible and this information may not be available to students in the teacher preparation program. For the experienced teachers, mentoring enhances their personal & professional growth as they provide support & leadership to these student teachers. Mentoring also provides the opportunity for mentors to reflect about their own beliefs about teaching & strengthen their commitment to their career. Mentors also mentioned that the student teachers enrich the centres' curriculum when they implement new & creative ideas in their teaching and when they set up the learning environment. The mentors feel that this brings about the professional renewal for the centre staff as well. One of the most significant benefits of mentoring in the field of early childhood education is the fast assimilation of these student teacher graduates into the early childhood education setting due to their professional competency upon graduation. I like to end with a quote: "If you want a lifetime of prosperity. Nurture people." Anonymous. Mentoring is indeed a pathway to professionalism in early childhood education. Written by: ACADEMIC COURSES UPCOMING EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS ii) Professional Development Workshops YOU ASK, WE ANSWER A MINUTE WITH. Stepping out bleary eyed from a plane is not an experience most people would enjoy, however, for me it was an exciting start to a new journey as a full-time international student who enrolled in a Masters of Education Programme with the University of Melbourne. Everyday in Melbourne was always filled with new experiences as most of my classes were held in the evenings. I had the luxury of either waking up early in the mornings to take a leisurely walk before breakfast or lying in bed until the first rays hit my eyes. After that it's a mad dash, as I had to cook my meals for the day (eating out costs a "bomb') before rushing off to the university to complete my readings for my classes. Being there also enabled me to meet other international students for dialogues about the courses that we were taking, our countries and our interests. The discussions we had were very enlightening as I began to learn more about my new friends, their countries and the issues that they had to face in their countries. Many times during our conversations, I felt humbled and truly grateful that I live in Singapore, "Where", as my Aussie friends like to say "most things work all the time". Being a gregarious sort, I was seldom lonely. My life as a full time student also gave me many opportunities to work very closely with my mentors as their teaching or research assistant. Fieldwork meant working in Child Care Centres and Primary Schools, which I took to like a duck to water. These experiences helped me greatly when I returned to Singapore to collect the data for my own thesis. Working with my mentors also gave me a clearer insight into my role as a teacher trainer. Being there for a whole year also meant that I had the chance of experiencing the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter. I enjoyed spring and autumn most. I loved spring and its beautiful blooms, for example, tulips, lilies and my favourite the Cherry Blossoms. Walking down a lane of Cherry Blossom trees made me feel as if I was walking down a lane in Japan. It was wonderful. Autumn was filled with beautiful colours as leaves began to change their garments quite often to prepare themselves for the drab colouring they would have to don for the rest of winter. Although summer was my least favourite because temperatures could rise to 45 degrees sometimes, it also gave me some delightful memories of picking strawberries and cherries and collecting mussels for my dinner. Sometimes, my friends and I would also attend performances under the stars. During the summer holidays, I had wanted to come home to spend New Year with my family; sadly, I was unable to obtain a flight home. I was a little depressed with the thought that I could not return for the year-end festivities. Nonetheless, I had great friends who cheered me up. We decided to celebrate the event by attending the huge fireworks display at Federation Square, which was then followed by a party where each brought a "plate" (The Aussie slang for a plate of food). Although I had a lot of fun, it was not always plain sailing. I missed my family and my friends and there was a lot of work as my lecturers at the university believed in total independency, especially as this was a postgraduate course that I had embarked on. We were expected to seek out our own readings. Research for assignments meant countless hours in the library and in front of the computer. Fortunately for me, I was given my own workstation at the university because I was a "research" student. This saved me from the bone weary toil of lugging my books from the university to my lodgings. As the transport cost is very high in Melbourne, my usual mode of transport was the use of my legs. Walking was easy as the whole city is planned on a grid system and the cool weather meant that I would not arrive at my destination all hot and bothered. There were some exciting moments too, especially during the "Bali Bombing" period when Australia was on high alert. The university had a bomb scare and all of us were evacuated from the postgraduate house. Although I am very glad that I am home now, safely ensconced in the warmth of my comfortable nest, I often reminisce about my time in Melbourne and I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their wonderful support as this has enabled me to enjoy and fully utilise my time there. |