Reflection- Nur Syafawani

Awareness of Early Childhood Issues

 

From this Capstone project, I have learned about the different issues that are rising in the early childhood sector. Lack of manpower, professional development of a teacher, issues with parents or even challenges in the preschool centre itself. I would have never thought that such issue exists, but this project has exposed me them. After discussions in class, I realized that maybe I can play a small part in helping to solve the issues. When I get to the early childhood industry after graduating, I would want to give my contributions if I know of such issue going on in the centre. With the knowledge that I have, I believe that I am capable to contribute some ideas even if its very little.

 

I have learned so much from the interview with the principal. I came to the interview hoping that she will answer the questions that was related to my topic; burnout, but her response was totally unexpected. She mentioned how the topic was more of a personal issue and it is not really something she can comment on. Thus, she started to talk about the issues in her centre that she thinks is arising. Having no prior knowledge to the issue she was discussing was a bit alarming but I listened closely to what she had to say. I realise how the issue of establishing a culture and relationship in the centre is very important. Without the proper culture and good relationship among teachers in the preschool centre, it will be hard to get the centre running smoothly. When my group and I thought of the solution, we thought through it critically and made sure to provide a solution that we thought was manageable. The principal liked the ideas but she felt that not all will be feasible for her to do with the teachers in the centre especially since she is still new to the centre. The fact that she liked our ideas made me happy as it felt like as my groups’ and I hard work was worth it.  

 

Personal Growth

 

Before this, I will say that I am not the most organize person. However, through this project, I felt that it has forced me to organize my thoughts in a good way. When I thought of the interview questions and even the solutions, it forced me to put it in a way that will make sense when I ask or explain it. With this skill, I will be able to use it in the workforce.

 

As for the communication skill, I have realized how important it is. Communication is important to avoid misunderstandings or doing a double job. For example, during the project, some of us accidentally edited the website at the same time which was not possible as the site will not be able to save two works at the same time. This caused us to be frustrated with one another and had to restart our job. This situation could have been avoided if we had communicated better. It is not just important to communicate about work but also to have genuine conversations with the people around you. This will help in establishing a good relationship and thus it will be easier to work together with in the future too.

 

 

Problem-solving skill is not just something that will happen naturally. It takes practice and a conscious effort. When a problem arises, you can choose to solve it or whine and do nothing about it. During the project, there were problems that came up. For example, group members not able to turn up for the face to face meeting. The others could have complained about it but instead we decided to split our job. We need to solve a problem by communicating and thus I feel that all these skills are really important for one to have instill in themselves. When we start working, bigger problems would come up and the way we choose to handle it matters a lot. It shows how mature we are as a person as well.

This project has helped me to grow as an individual. It made me think more positively and that to every problem, there is always a solution.