Visit of a male into the preschool.

Yesterday RC, a mate of mine came to visit the preschool. It was an interesting experience as the children don't get much exposure to males in school apart from walk in parents and people coming in to fix broken things.

RC spent some time with the 6 year old children, and they seemed to enjoy having the attention of a male in the classroom. It also helps that RC is good looking as well. ;-) Some of the children called him uncle, and some kor-kor (elder brother in Cantonese). LOL. The lady teachers were pleased to have a visitor, at least that was my impression.

Some people may say as parents, they may not like the idea of strange men coming into the classroom, but if everything is under the supervision of the class teacher, so who are they to say anything different?

In Sydney, I do know that many male childcare workers are not assigned to bathroom supervision duties, nor allowed to be with one child for the sake of protecting their interests as well as the school's. Hence, I can understand the societal and cultural sensitivity that is implied here.

Anyways being of the forward thinking kind, RC suggested that I incorporate some activities including parents or grandparents to come in for sessions, i.e. story telling, cooking, which the older classes has done before.

Its an idea worth pursuing in the future as involving relatives in a child's learning is always a worthwhile idea that creates a bonding and learning experience for both the children, as well as the teachers.