TEFL Jordan Creek Oregon

Child Development (25) One of the reasons I became interested in teaching english was because of a job I heard about in Germany teaching english to children in a daycare. I have always loved working with children and almost all of the jobs I have held have involved working with children such as lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons, teaching softball pitching, providing childcare, and a few internships in language classes in schools. While getting my degree in psychology, my main interest was in child development. I am fascinated by how children learn and grow and the stages of development through which humans progress. There are many psychological theories on the various stages of development. Erikson's psychosocial stages of development especially interest me because his stages seem to encompass all aspects of development. The stages focus not only on the physical changes that occur during development, but also the mental and social changes a person experiences as they grow. Erkison highlights major achievements and problems that must be overcome during each stage. As a person reaches each stage, they faced with learning basic skills necessary to move toward being a functioning adult. From a teacher's perspective, one of the most important stages of child development is Industry vs. Inferiority. In this stage, the child's main focus is finding his place in society. The child is now challenged with functioning and succeeding in a school environment. Main tasks include following rules, learning in an academic setting, and interacting with teachers and other students (Achenbach, 1982). Parents are the most influential in childhood development prior to the child going to school. A teacher influences the child's development academically and socially. teachers possess more than one role in a student's life. They are one of the first adults outside of family members with whom a child must interact. Students learn responsibility, discipline, and social skills in school. There should be an immense pressure felt by teachers because of their role in facilitating how a child grows. I have had many opportunities to realize the important role adults play in a child's development because of my many experiences working with young children. I have experienced how important it is to treat a child like they are special and that they and their opinions and feelings matter. I have observed how children react to difficult situations. children look to the adult for guidance, safety, reassurance, help, and answers, and when something goes badly, it can have an emotional impact on the child's future development. From my experience, I have found that it important to encourage children throughout the learning process while maintaining expectations for responsible participation. With my acquired knowledge through education and life experiences, I am acutely aware of the enormous responsibility I will carry into my future career as a teacher of english. My aim will not only be to educate my students in english, I will also strive to help them gain confidence, grow socially, and find their identity. Since teachers assisted in my successful development, I would like to now do the same and become an integral part in a child's growth. Source: T.M. Achenbach, Developmental Psychopathology, 2nd ed. (New YorkL Wiley, 1982), p. 67