Helping without judging

Sheryl Beraña Seletaria

                                                     

I am now working in Canada, which is a society with diversity. Its citizens are from many countries of origin and cultural backgrounds. We need to work with people from different cultures everywhere. 

As an early childhood educator, I have encountered various people with different approaches in dealing with children’s behaviour influenced by their culture. Some have inspired me, while some have disheartened me.

I work in a classroom with toddlers aged 18 to 30 months together with a smart and lovely educator. There were ten children in the class for two educators, and sometimes, it gets busy and challenging. Some children in the toddler group have no language yet, so they communicate by crying, fussing, or whining. 

When my co-educator just started working with me (her first job in the field), she reacted to the situation emotionally instead of positively to a child’s cue or behaviour. She was young, and according to her, she grew up in a culture where discipline is different. I listened to her, as she probably needed help, instead of correcting or judging. 

She watched, learned and quickly adapted to the environment. She realised that it is a classroom where the children are allowed to cry, fuss, or whine, where children’s feelings are validated and behaviours dealt with positive reinforcement. 

I saw her improvement quickly. She worked hard to find ways to deal with behaviours positively, and we worked toward managing the classroom better. The process was not easy, but the result was rewarding. 

I am delighted with how things worked out; my co-worker is an amazing educator influenced by various experiences, cultures, and environments. I have been moved by how she has positively improved the situation and dealt with the stress in our work. God bless her!

I know God put me in this situation not to correct or condemn other people’s ways but probably to be a good witnessing Christian by understanding and helping others. 

                 Sheryl Beraña Seletaria