Interview with Tadika Diglosia

Assalamualaikum, I’m one of the students from International Islamic College, taking diploma in Early Childhood Education and I have been assigned to do an interview with an English pre-school teacher for my English for pre-school course, but first, can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Fauziah Mohd Hussain. I opened up this center way back eight years ago when I came back from Kuching and after I resign from my career as an assistant manager in bank. So, initial reason why I opened up this center is to fill up my own children with Montessori education, actually. She was about three years-old, I thought why not I share my knowledge and experience with other children as well. This is why I opened up this center. It is a very pleasant experience actually.

Oh, you said you’ve been working for eight years already?

It has been my eighth years in this center. This center has been here for about eight years.

Can you tell us about your experience in working in the pre-school setting?

A lot. A lot of experiences. The best moment is when the children come out with the ideas, the children came to me and say that “Auntie Zie..” (that is what her students call her) when they were reading and tell me this is this this this and this. And when I did my Science project on the life cycle of a frog, the children were very excited and that was the best experience that I,  as a pre-school teacher had with the children. There’s a lot actually. Eight years in this center, there’s a lot of experiences. The best part is when they came one day; “Hi auntie Zie, you look so pretty today.” It makes my day.

To teach pre-school English, what are the methods that you used?

I am a true believer of the Montessori method. I still do Montessori method of education to the children because I find that it is a very beautiful method that you can use. If we relate in Islam, we as the Muslims, it also correlate well, actually. We did not documented it, whereas Montessori documented it what should we do from A to Z. For example, in the practical life, the simple thing as how to use the toilet. I am truly a believer of Montessori ways and I also do the Islamic method as well, but the main is Montessori.

From your observation, how successful the method was?

-Very successful. We don’t want to pressure the children. We don’t want to put too much pressure on the children so we did it by learning through play because Montessori is about learning through play and the result is excellent. The children are happy to come to school and we do it in not a very formal way (the learning process). We made it as light as possible but filled with education method. I feel that it is very successful. They didn’t even know that they are learning, but the hidden objective is there, because with the Montessori apparatus, the children looks like it is a plaything, but we as the educator, we need to understand, what is the hidden objective of it, so we need to emphasize on that.

In your opinion, what is the importance of teaching English for pre-school?

Very important. We are not in the rural area (Jitra, Kedah), but we are a little distant from urban areas.  It is very important, because we are surrounded by native language, our mother tongue is Bahasa Melayu. At least, when the children come to the school, the learn English. At least they have the background and the foundation of the English. It is important because when the children goes to the primary school, they have the basic English in them, so it will encourage the children to go to further and be more confident in front of their friends. I really think it is important.

For the parents to teach English at home, can you suggest a few examples?

They should speak English. There are not so many ways that we can emphasize on English unless you give the vocabularies of English to the children. At least the parents who have the background of English, give as much vocabularies as possible to the children and they wouldn’t found that it is an alien language to them. But it depends on the parents actually, I can’t say that they have to do a specific way to teach their children, because it depends on the background of the parents. That is why when they come to the school, I give as much as possible vocabularies to the children. Besides that, the parents should read a lot to the children. We don’t need to introduce bombastic words to the children, just read them story books with short and simple sentences.  Back to your question before, what is my good experience in teaching, the parent came to school one day “Auntie Zie, Afiq(her son) wants me to read The Star, so I have to buy The Star for me to make Afiq knows that I read English newspaper. That’s the best moment actually.

When you teach pre-school English, are there any barriers for you?

Not really, actually. Only for the first few months or days when they come to the school, they do not know what is ‘line up’ or ‘make a circle’, but the barrier is very very slight. I don’t have that much barrier with the children. The barrier is at home, actually because here at school, we give the same vocabularies, the same words and the same sentences all the time, so they will understand. For example; if I say ‘tidy up, children’. For the first few days they may not know what is tidy up, but now, they already know. They know what is tidy up, they know to ‘line up’ to take the food, they already know ‘wash your hand before eating’, there are not much barriers except for the first few days and months maybe when we give more and more vocabularies and they will take some time to absorb. There are not much barriers actually, because the children can absorb things well.  The barrier is at home actually, in our environment, between their friends.

Do they respond well to your instructions?

I have to use dual language, but sometimes I don’t. If I use difficult language, I have to use dual language. Or I do the action, for example I want them to move back, I’ll say ‘move back’ and take the children and move them to the back. It’s not that hard, actually.

Apart from the teaching method that you are using, are there any other methods available that you know?

The Islamic method of course, but I have to cooperate with Ministry of Education guidelines. I did the bridging for six years old children to fulfill what the ministry needs by the end of the year. There’s not much difference actually.

Do you separate your students according to age?

Yes and no. No when in the morning when they do the circle time. Montessori is the method where you put all the age together but she believe that the small children will learn something from the older children. When I did the Montessori exercises, I did not separate them but when I need to go for the KSPK method from the ministry, I need to separate them. But there are not much time when they got separated. They still mingle around together, especially in the morning, when they are eating, when they exercise outside, and before they go home, there are free choices activity, where they can choose what they want to do, that one, I didn’t separate them.  You could see that they mix around together. That’s the beauty of it.

To encourage the children to learn English, what are the specific commitments for parents?

Speak English. Give as much vocabularies as possible to the children, give the good English CDs to them. You know there are lots of English programs that are very good for the children out there. If the parents are afraid that the children would not understand, use dual language.  It will take a very short time for the children to understand actually. From the age of 0 to 6 years old, give as much language as possible to the children because that is their absorption period.

What are the commitments for the teachers?

My teachers speak English. I encourage my teachers to speak English, I even told my teachers to not talk to me if they don’t speak in English. Like I said, the barriers are not around school but the environment. We are surrounded by Malay community, and we use mother tongue, we could not avoid that criteria.

Okay, I think that is the end for our interview. Thank for having me.