52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 26 (SLOW)
This week I am going to write about ME!!
Specifically - one of my achievements that took many years to accomplish that is best represented by this nursery rhyme about a slow snail.
In 2019 I began the teacher training process for the National Parent-Child Mother Goose program.
During the training we had to present a rhyme complete with actions. I chose this lovely story about a garden snail that is perfect for actions with babies.
Although it felt like I was very slow in completing the certification process I look back now realizing 2 years is not that long.
At the time it really did feel like I would never achieve this goal.
The final step to certification involved a one page submitted reflection of the entire training process.
Below you will find my personal story (edited a bit for privacy) of how I became a Parent-Child Mother Goose Teacher.
More than 20 years ago I was drawn into a magical group of children and their parents singing and chanting rhymes as I walked down the hall to my office. I was the Community Integration Coordinator in a small town. One of the youngsters in that group was on my caseload. He had minimal speech. He was a quiet child who preferred the company of chickens. Here he was in the center of a large group of humans dancing and smiling. I decided that day I wanted to be a teacher for this amazing program called Parent-Child Mother Goose.
Over the years I saw advertisements for Parent-Child Mother Goose programs. When I checked for teacher training the timing was never right. That changed in December 2018 when I saw an advertisement for training in the neighbouring community. I had just received a monetary Christmas gift from my father that coincidentally matched the registration fee.
About 20 years after I first became enchanted by this amazing program I began the process to join the Parent-Child Mother Goose teaching team.
On our first day of training the entire class was drawn in by our Instructor. Her passion for the program was infectious. I am pretty sure every learner in that room was already envisioning themselves in the role of teacher with her skills.
After the training I felt prepared to take on the challenge of Self-Evaluation & Certification. I thought the hardest part was behind me, but it wasn’t long before I realized the hardest part was yet to come.
I hadn’t thought about how difficult it would be to find a program that needed a co-teacher. My first disappointment was finding out I couldn’t be a part of a program that took place in any of the local libraries – even on my day off due to my library qualifications and employment status. The only general sessions in my community were happening in our libraries' meeting rooms. After 2 months of networking almost daily our local child development office invited me to volunteer for their program in collaboration with the local community services agency. I felt like this was a perfect fit given my previous work.
Co-teaching with a very experienced teacher was such a perfect start to my teaching experience. Our terms were only 8 weeks which meant I would need to co-teach for 4 terms to get my minimum of 30 sessions. Everything looked great for that to happen. I loved the weekly sessions, and my confidence was growing with every group. Then Covid arrived, and the sessions moved to a Zoom format resulting in no need for a volunteer. I was only halfway through my sessions, and Covid sidelined my progress. As I pondered what I could do I had a creative idea that fit within my Covid bubble.
My friend’s grandson was set to begin Preschool in September 2020. Due to Covid the preschool decided to take the year off. His mom joined up with another mom whose son was supposed to attend the same preschool. They set up a homeschool preschool program. The National Office supported my idea of teaching this small preschool without a co-teacher. The moms agreed initially to help me earn my teaching credentials. It wasn’t long before they realized how important this magical program really was to their youngsters. They changed their schooling schedule twice to accommodate changes in my schedule. They asked to continue with a spring term even though I had met all of my required teaching sessions.
When I first started co-teaching I was hesitant. I do not have a quality singing voice. With practice I can now call myself a story-teller. In the 37 sessions I taught I realized the importance of: believing in the program, sharing the passion, and having fun. My repertoire of rhymes, songs, and stories grew exponentially over the 2 terms I had no co-teacher. The learning and program benefits happen as a side effect of the passion shared with the families. For more than 20 years I have been a fan of this amazing program.
I am super proud to join the ranks of qualified teachers for this magical program - Parent-Child Mother Goose!
Deb, March 20, 2021
I still treasure this mug I received as a present from my little preschool class at the end of the 2021 school year.
Reflecting on the impacts we have on the lives of the people we connect with!!!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Photos:
Slowly Slowly - Created by the author using slip art.
Personal
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/
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