Topic: Tell about a creative project, performance or other work of yours and how it reflects your vision or voice.
“Children are not things to be moulded, but people to be unfolded.” For a guardian, a young child is a very special and dear project. It requires effort, care, and thought as children seek attention, love, and guidance each in their ways. A child is nurtured by intimate and meaningful relationships rather than a set of perfect guidelines. Children, created in their uniqueness, are full of surprises. Walking with a child begins with understanding, and understanding begins with learning to adapt to the child’s many changing ways.
Once I had to carry a misbehaving child into a quiet area to talk to him. As he tried to untangle himself from my hold, I knelt to his level, waited until his resistance died out and was ready to listen to me. I understood the boy well enough to know that pretending to be intimidating or being extra gentle, like I usually try to be, wouldn’t get him to behave. If I expected him to speak to me openly, I had to do the same with him. However, being completely honest with a misbehaving student has never been my first choice. When it came to this boy, I attempted to get him to open up by asking questions. Even so, he continued to remain silent. I explained to the boy that I wouldn’t be able to fulfil his needs unless he makes it known to me. The boy took some time to think and finally agreed to behave. In response to his willingness to cooperate with me, I promised that I would treat all the other kids the same way he is treated.
It is so rewarding to watch a child put aside their rebellious behaviour and try their best to show me what they are capable of. The boy that I was honest with now shows me a completely different side of himself. Having him open up to me is like opening a treasure chest as he reveals all his safely guarded fantasies and secrets. Every project poses challenges that people must overcome. I have learnt to keep a creative mind when investing in a relationship with an unpredictable child. Instead of trying to guess what’s going on in the child’s mind, it’s more effective to find creative ways that allow the child to express their thoughts themselves.
A person’s life begins with their childhood. To walk with a child in a time of growth, through guidance and care, is a responsibility that comes with being a teacher. Rather than moulding them to become an ideal child with a successful future, I encourage them to show me who they are. At times, I make mistakes, but I learn to improve from them. I have dedicated my time to this creative project of understanding and patience so that I can overcome obstacles and be rewarded knowing that I made a step in allowing the child to unfold into the person they were made to become.
Reflection:
Compared to the other assignments, this piece was the most challenging. The idea of working with kids is interesting to me, however, it was difficult to write about it with the prompt given. As I was writing the piece, I was so focused on staying on track with the topic that I lost some of the passion for the subject. I had good ideas but I could’ve expressed them better by using more suitable word choices and improving sentence fluency.
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As a person that also likes to work with children, your essay was extremely relatable. I completely agree with how you describe childhood as an important building block in life that can determine who they will turn out to be in the future. Just like you, I also receive a rewarding feeling when children learn from their mistakes. It’s so cool that we share a similar passion! Maybe next time you could include a specific example when you, in return, learned something from a child. I think it can make the essay more personal and give a clearer understanding to the readers on what you exactly mean. Overall, a great job! Love the photos as well!
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