The Love for Children Will Come - Teacher Gana from R.E.A.L Kids Puchong Jaya

"The love for children will come if you have the patience and kindness because the children are so innocent." - Teacher Gana from R.E.A.L Kids Puchong Jaya.

Teacher Gana is not the first preschool teacher that has come from a corporate background. Tthe reason behind why some of these teachers that decided to pursue a career in early childhood education never cease to amaze us and that is motherhood. 

“I wanted to teach my own children. I could not just sit around the house and do nothing. Therefore I enrolled myself to pursue a Diploma in Montessori. Thereafter, I ran my own kindergarten for 10 years. It was a very small self independent kindergarten that I managed alongside my sister and a helper. After making the decision to sell off the business, I stayed home for a short period of time to look after my aging mother-in-law. After some time, I felt restless and staying at home was starting to be very energy-sapping and that was when I came across an ad in the newspaper that was looking for kindergarten teachers. This was my beginning with R.E.A.L Kids."

If you think that managing a class full of preschoolers is easy, you might need to think again. Teacher Gana shared with us some of the challenges that are involved in managing preschoolers that she has encountered over the years teaching in R.E.A.L Kids. “Handling the parents is more challenging than the children at times. The children are happy in your classes but their parents could think otherwise. They have high expectations of the teachers and expect results from their children’s learning growth in areas such as reading and writing. Unlike the Western culture, Asian cultured parents have the tendency to be fairly academically driven. Classes are organized in such a way that each class would have a variety of levels of children but all of the same age. There are times where you struggle with time in guiding the slower ones to catch up with the class. This is where you would have to identify the stronger children and teach them to assist their weaker classmates. You’ll be surprised as to how children can sometimes learn better from their peers. We also get the stronger students to learn through puzzles and building blocks while we are occupied with guiding the weaker ones. Another challenge that I have encountered as a teacher is handling very active children. There are always a few children who are unique in character in a class. How do you handle them then? Some of these children are very smart and energetic. For example, I had this one boy who was very cheeky. I had placed the sweet drinks very high up on a cupboard and while I was attending to the other children, he was cheekily stacking chairs up to climb up and retrieve the drink. I had to run up to him and told him nicely that he could not have the sweet drinks now and that he had to be patient. Sometimes you have to explain nicely to the quieter and more timid children that teacher will not scold them if they behave well especially after they have seen you scold the naughtier ones. Everything has to be done in a very sensitive and delicate manner. Teaching in a big school and running back and forth for school duties can be very tiresome at times too.” 

However, teaching in a kindergarten is not all bitter as there are plenty of sweet moments too! Teacher Gana shared with us about her short experience in teaching at a Dyslexic Centre. “It was an NGO and I was there to teach a small group of dyslexic children and by using the phonetics method, we were able to guide some dyslexic children of age 7 & 8 years old to learn how to read. Later on, the centre started accepting autistic children and it became too time-consuming and tiring for me. I love and enjoy teaching children and what gives me joy is seeing how much progress the children has shown since entering my class. I was not trained to teach autistic children.” Why did teacher Gana decide to stay with R.E.A.L Kids Puchong Jaya for such a long time? “I feel recognized and comfortable with the people here. It feels good when you have a parent come up to you and insist that her second or third child to be in your class. It lets you know that you have been doing a great job and how your children are impacted by it. I want to be somewhere where everybody knows my name. I could have moved on to a bigger school with better financial security but I wouldn’t know what the chances are to meet a good school manager like teacher Janet who is comfortable with my teaching methods and trusts me enough to continue using my own teaching style.”

Teacher Gana was extremely grateful when she experienced parents who went up on stage to thank her publically for her competency as a teacher during one of the Graduation Day Ceremony. There are times when she feels that she would like to explore different careers after being in this line of job for so long. She was considering on exploring the real estate industry. However, there is something special and fulfilling about teaching children that has always kept her here. “Some time ago I bumped into an ex student of mine and she was currently already working as an accountant! I felt excited but yet at the same time a little sad for myself as I was still working as a teacher after so many years. However that student exclaimed, “Teacher Gana, you have basically taught half of Puchong! And that is what you want to hear and feel. Sometimes we may not feel that we have contributed much, but even after a child has grown up and still remembers me, I am very happy.” 

How has working with R.E.A.L Kids transformed teacher Gana for the better? “I used to be very introverted and shy. I was encouraged by the management to take up public speaking and it is very different speaking to children as opposed to speaking publically to adults. Children don’t judge you as much as adults do although I must admit that children are much brighter than we thought they were. They actually absorb a lot more than you think they do and they bring it back home to their parents.” 

Is anyone off the streets qualified to be a preschool teacher? “Patience is of utmost importance. This is followed by kindness and love for the children. Even if you do not love children, working in a kindergarten will grow that love for children eventually because the children are so innocent. I remember this one child who was always crying loudly ‘Teacher Gana, Teacher Gana’ to get my attention. After a while, she slowly grew to be independent and she was able to learn so much. Your heart will melt when you see how a child progress in your class. Sometimes it is the fear and separation anxiety that scares them and that is why they cry. After all this, I am now teaching her younger sister and I am always reminded of her elder sister. Being a preschool teacher is not a job that should be looked down upon. You need to have the passion for children and learn how to be hands-on with them. When a child makes a mess in his pants and is afraid to let the teacher know because he is afraid of getting scolded, you should not just throw him to the helper to clean him up. This might instil thoughts of rejection in the child’s mind.”

What are Teacher Gana’s thoughts on Early Childhood Education? “It is the period of time for us to teach them right from wrong. Reading is critical at this stage of life for them to accumulate general knowledge. By learning to read, the child is able to progress further in learning. This is the time where we are still able to mould them, imagine trying to change someone who is already in their 50s. It is near to impossible because they are already so set in their ways. I learned through my experience of raising my 3 children that teaching positive things are crucial. My eldest child took a break of 7 years after her SPM and was jumping from course to course until she finally settled down in dentistry. As compared to my youngest son, who is only 16 now, is very independent. He knows how to take the bus on his own to school every day and sometimes I feel hurt when he tells me “don’t worry about me mom, I don’t need your help now, I can take care of myself.” Both my eldest and youngest child behaves so differently from one another. My son is independent enough to cook his own meal whereas my eldest cannot even heat up her already cooked meal. I am still learning how to cope as a mother and learning how not to be selfish sometimes to wanting to be needed by them.” 

Teacher Gana rejoined us in 2006 and she has no regrets. “I have no regrets but there are times I feel burnt out. I really give all my heart and soul and it can be tiring. It is definitely not easy to be a teacher. However, I like going the extra mile. I have a soft spot for children who are weaker in the class but it can sometimes take a toll on me.”