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In 2023, the HPP Preschools of the Future project reached 122 rural teachers, and the Rural Preschools’ Core Teacher Empowerment project reached 30 rural teachers. While focusing on the development of young children in rural areas, the development of rural teachers is also our concern.
Shang Aibo, a preschool teacher at Xiangshan preschool in Tengchong City, spent ten years working as a caregiver and then became a preschool teacher. In July 2023, the Preschools of the Future preschool project, supported by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation and implemented by HPP, reached Xiangshan preschool, and Shang Aibo made a huge difference in a short period of time.
In a telephone interview, Aibo just said goodbye to the new students who started the new semester at the primary school, and with a smile in her native tongue, she said that it takes time for the new term's small class to get used to it, and that she always spends a lot of time trying to calm the children down at the beginning of the school year. She talked to me about all the changes that have taken place over the past year.
Xiangshan preschool has changed in terms of the environment of the preschool class and the teaching and management method after the project moved in. There are more play areas, more indoor and outdoor teaching aids, and the infrastructure has been updated, so the children have a good learning environment; the communication with parents has also become closer, in the past, parent-teacher conferences were held once a semester. Now they are held multiple times a semester., The parents have learnt more knowledge related to parenting, and more supportive of the teachers and the preschool; the children of the preschool have also become more self-confident and cheerful.
Among them, Aibo's deepest feeling is her own change.
‘I've always felt that preschool teaching is a conscientious profession, and that you can only educate children well if you have heart and kindness, but for so many years I've been ignorant, and I felt that I hadn't really been exposed to the heart of the preschool teaching profession.’
Since the project training began, Aibo has opened the door to a new world. She has had more training hours, more training sessions, and access to more professionals. With the systematic training, Aibo has gradually expanded her knowledge and is able to translate theory into practice to better educate her children. In the past, Aibo's biggest problem was that she could not understand the reasons for a child's behavior. After the training, Aibo learned a lot about the psychology and behavior of young children, and she was able to deduce the needs of children from their behavior, so that she could take better care of them. In addition, she has developed a closer relationship with parents, who feel comfortable entrusting their children to Aibo. ‘There are children who are not even old enough for parents to want to send them over to me to teach, and even children who don't belong to the Xiangshan area, parents want to send their children to my preschool class after hearing about me.’ Aibo said with a smile.
Encouraged and supported by the project, Aibo also took the adult college entrance examination. Now, she has successfully continued her education in the early childhood education industry.
There are many rural teachers like Shang Aibo who receive training from the project and use what they learn to continue their work in rural education, nurturing every child with a heart of hope. Some teachers also become part of the project team and continue to help the children in another capacity to achieve their own sustainable development.
On the occasion of the 40th Teachers' Day, HPP would like to thank each and every one of the project teachers for their dedication, and I hope that we can continue to work hand with each other in the future.
Project introduction:
Tengchong POF is funded by Tin Ka Ping Foundation, and HPP cooperates with Tengchong Education and Sports Bureau to assist in the implementation of the "One village, One preschool" policy. The project takes early education as the entry point, improves the hardware facilities and teaching aids of preschool classes and organizes professional and systematic training for teachers regularly. The project team regularly supervises preschool classes to help teachers solve difficulties and problems in daily teaching activities. In addition, the preschool classes have set up the parent committee, carried out parent training and promoted preschool-home co-education. The project focuses on game-based teaching, provides tools such as teacher management kits and teaching materials, improves the coverage of preschool education in rural areas, and improves the quality of preschool education in rural areas, so that more children can receive high-quality preschool education.
This article represents the views of the author and does not represent the views or positions of the donor.