Week 12 - Professional

This week I have been in my placement for only two days. I am nearly finished all my hours in placement, and I want to keep going there for as many weeks as possible, so I am trying to spread out my few remaining days. On Thursday of this week, the children and I visited Turku castle. The children were very excited about this visit and they were thrilled at getting a day out. They thoroughly enjoyed the castle, and climbing all the stairs! The children had a lot of fun there, as there were many rooms for them to hide in and jump out to scare their friends! I found it very strange that my setting did not need the parents’ permission to take the children on an outing from the setting. The parents also did not have to pay any extra money for this trip because it is all included in the price of the day-care. I personally thought that the children were given a lot more independence when they went on this visit compared with the settings of home, because the children were given the freedom to wander around the rooms and explore the different artifacts that the castle had to offer. It was very interesting for me to see this because even though the children were free to explore the rooms and artifacts without a tour, they were very obedient to the teachers and they showed them a lot of respect. On Friday when I was in placement, we took the children for a walk in the Finnish forest beside the placement. This was very beautiful as spring is coming, and the weather was good. We came to a clearing in the forest, and again the children were free to roam around the forest and to explore the different types of plants and animals. The children are given a lot more independence and freedom here in Finland, compared with home and it makes me think that perhaps we should give the children more respect and independence at home. The children seem to appreciate the independence they are given, and then they in turn show respect to the adults in their setting. I feel like this will change my own practice when I return to Northern Ireland as I feel that I will give the children there more independence in these settings.