TRINITONIAN 14 July 2019

TRINITYHOUSE
PRE-PRIMARY PALM LAKES
KEEPING ON TRACK
What is pre-primary school? It is many
things with an array of aspects, but for
me as a Grade 000 teacher, pre-primary
school is the opportunity for the children
to make mistakes. As I sit, watching my class zoom
around the bike track, a realisation dawns on me – in
just twenty minutes these children are being exposed
to a much friendlier version of the ‘big bad world’.
Without knowing it we have created a testing ground
where fear is not an element, and as most people
are well aware, the most amazing things can happen
without fear added to the equation. The fear of failure,
the fear of judgement and the fear of getting hurt are
the brakes that hold most adults back from success.
Today, at the bike track, I notice that for these children
fear is something they haven’t had much exposure to,
and for this, I am most grateful as this is not the case
for many other children.
I watch how this small part of our wonderful school mimics
the real world in so many ways – and I also find the answer
to that all-important question: Why is pre-primary school
so important for the child’s total development? It must
be important if the government is debating whether to
make Grade 00 a compulsory schooling year. It must be
important as the question monopolises many discussion
forums on many moms’ groups.
Watching, I see how the children are free to explore
different roles. A child has gone from being the leader,
having the rest of the class following behind his bike
and getting to make all the calls, turn left or turn right,
stop or go, to being a follower and having to obey the
decisions of the new leader. How will children know
what position they like if they don’t get the opportunity
to explore the different positions in a safe space? Even
the shyest of children somehow end up in the front and
they may like it or they may prefer to move to the back.
It’s the small moments of opportunity that help these
youngsters discover their preferences.
Rules are a reality. Some thrive under the guidance
and stick to their side of the road, follow each and
every arrow and come to a blinding halt at the zebra
crossing, while other little thrill seekers are content
with running a red light and hoping for the best.
Pre-primary school is like life but with the training
wheels on. They may end up with a grazed knee after
a head-on collision with a friend and that may be the
gentle reminder to everyone that in life the rules are
not made to be broken and it is generally in their best
interests to abide by them. Isn’t it so great that children
get to be exposed to these life lessons now while the
consequences are still quite minor?
Fantasy play is so important in a child’s total
development and it is at the forefront of learning in
pre-primary school. A child gives up his bike to go and
direct the ‘traffic’ at an intersection. How that child
beams when putting up their tiny hand and has the
power to stop three energised loons on their bikes.
It fills the child with power and a sense of self-worth,
which for me as a teacher is more important than
anything children will learn by sitting for 20 minutes on
the carpet with their legs crossed.
Life is a rat race and a lot of the beauty is missed
as fantasy starts to fade and reality sets in. If we go
back to why pre-school is so vital, it is because it’s the
first opportunity a child gets to discover things for
themselves. It’s when they start to explore what type of
person they are and who they would like to be. Allow
your child this time to make mistakes because this is
when the consequences are minor and the lessons
powerful.
1. Jessica Chen, Micah and Marco Ballot and Leshara
Narainsamy. 2. Jessica Chen, Micah and Marco Ballot,
Leshara Narainsamy and Owakhe Shabalala. 3. Jessica
Chen, Micah and Marco Ballot. 4. Joanne Wagner and
Hugo Chen. 5. Kholisile Siguca, Lulonke Manyathi and
Cade de Gouviea-Smith. 6. Lulonke Manyathi and
Laim Naidoo. 7. Lulonke Manyathi. 8. Trikav Saligram,
Hugo Chen and Joanne Wagner. 9. Trikav Saligram.
10. Vihaan Harripersadh. 11. Kenzo Nkosi, Charlotte
Gaboreau, Davonna Viramuthu and Mayank Naidu.
44 | The Trinitonian