Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız - Red Hat Girl

Throughout the learning process, it is always very important that the topics that are taught should be related to each other. Otherwise, seperatedly studied topics do not make nay sense to the kids.

As we do from time to time, it was also time to tell a story, "Red Hat Girl". But, Dafne used puppets this time and it arouse the kids' interest more. They were waiting enthusiasticly for this story to be told. Firstly, Dafne performed that story with the puppets and they kids really had good time while watching that.

Then, it was my turn and with my Turkish children I studied that story, "Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız". Firstly, I gave some information about the story and got the puppets and started to perform it. Although it was the second time after the Dutch version, they were still enthusiastic. Furthermore, they wanted me to perform it again and again.

Consequently, the kids were happy and they also wanted to perform it with the puppets and I let them do so. When they finished, they seemed more self-confident which is very important for the future learning process.

Narrating the Story "Sahipsiz Köpek" - "Lonely Dog"

Stories play a crucial role in the education of the kids at this age. The goals that should be achieved are represented by a figure or an event in these stories and the kids get a better under understanding through this way.

In Adinda's and Dafne's classes, I narrated a story about a dog to the Turkish children and its name was "Sahipsiz Köpek" - " Lonely Dog". While narrating, I also showed some pictures from the book and the things that I was telling made sense in their mind.

When I finished, they wanted me to narrate them again and again. While narrating again, I also asked some questions to check whether they understood and they could make connections between the events. Most of them did pretty well.

Finally, I was happy to have such a story-telling with them. When I do something and if it works very well, I want to do something more. I felt this when I saw the happiness in the eyes of the kids.

Going to the Library

Reading is a very important habit that the kids should have from their young ages. The more you read, the better you think, the quicker you find solutions, the wider you consider the world and so on.

With Dafne's class, I went to library so that the students will have a look at the books and get a breath from library. All kids were very eager to go there. Moreover, they were also very happy wen they see that I was also coming with them.

When we arrived there, the man responsible welcomed us. Then, he gave some information about library what they do and how it works. The kids asked the questions that they had and get the answers which satisfied them.

After that, they were allowed to barrow one book. They chose whichever one that they wanted. I also got some story telling books to use it in the class.

All in all, when we came back, the kids very happy and they were looking at their books and comparing them with each other. Lastly, Dafne chose one book and she finished the class by telling a story to the kids.

Study Day - More Languages Both at School and at Home

Language is the key that opens the mysterious rooms of a culture. In this respect, it is also one of the most important components which make us a human-being. Moreover, it is also a way used by the others in order get to know that person better. All in all, language dates back as old as the history of human-beings.

People due to many and various reasons may happen to come to another country. As the nature of being a human is to be socialized with the other, language here plays very vital role.

Here there is an important question what will happen to the people living in a country where the language spoken at home and the one spoken at school are different. These people are actually very luck as they will be bilingual if they develop themselves and culturally rich as there will be different cultural characteristics in their personality because of the spoken languages which are different.

Then, there may be another question that is to say if they experience different cultures both at school and at home, whether they may have a their own cultural identity or not. In real, it is just the opposite they have a strong personality with the help of a wider way of thinking, having different components of both cultures in their character. This actually should be admired by the others.

Language and culture are two most important parts of the mosaic of humanity. People who are open and having a modern way of thinking benefit from the these parts as much as possible. They think that every human being is precious and any of them cannot be neglected. They get adapted to different cultural environments quickly and take the advantage of it. Aren’t the borders between countries enough, why do we have borders between people in social life. Let us break them.

Gettign Know What to Do

It is very important to know the goals of the task that you are doing and how to achieve them. In other words, any wind will not help the ship whose route was not defined. In this respect, I spent the first week by observing the classes and asking as many questions as possible. Thus, my task got very clear in my mind. All in all, after a week of observing the classes that I attend, I started to take part more in this week.

On Tuesday, in Dafne's class, we practiced the song, “Bugün Bayram” – “Today is festival”, that we sang last week. In each practice, the kids were getting more enthusiastic and eager to do perform what I am doing. This also motivated me to do something more. Then, in Adinda’s class, she wanted me to do some activities about farm animals as they will go to a farm next week. I told her that I could practice the popular farm animal song, “Ali Baba’nın Çiftliği” – “Father Ali’s Farm”. She said that it would be cool to do it in the class. It was also interesting for me that she knew about that song.

On Wednesday, we had an appointment with Luc to go to talk with the director of the head of VIP school where I will attend some English classes. At the beginning, we had some problems about finding the right building, but finally we found it and talked with her. She, the director, was really hospitable and enthusiastic about my attending some English classes in their school. Then, we also talked with one of the English teachers whose name was Frank. He gave me some information and we discussed about them. In the end, we had an appointment to meet next week.

On Thursday, in Adinda’s class, she wanted me to help the kids while they are playing a game about farm animals. It was sometimes very difficult for me to play a game with kids at the age of 4 or 5 as they should achieve something, but instead of concentrating on the goals, they would like to play as they want so I had to interrupt them many times. After playing several times, they got what I mean. Moreover, I added some other features to the games so that they will also practice their background information. It is also good to use the same material in different ways to achieve different, but related goals.

This week, I had also chances to talk with students during their lunch break and other break times. I think, the kids and I had a good sense of communication which is one of the most important keys of education. Therefore, we benefit from modern ways instead of traditional one in which there is a tight border between the kids and the teacher. That is to say they admire the teacher instead of being afraid of him so that the goals are accomplished more easily.

Getting Used to

What I actually believe in is that if something starts well, it also ends well. The first week in Piramide was a pretty good one for me in this respect. I had good contact with students, teachers, the other people working there and even with the parents. Moreover, I was always ready to help parents who have difficulty in communicating with the teachers due to their low level of Flemish or English. In this way, a healthy communication was achieved between the teachers and the parents.

This week and a few weeks to come would be the weeks for me to observe the classes and organize what I would like to do and how I should do them in the classroom environment by taking the goals of the project into consideration. This will also make my role more clear in the class as the Comenius Assistant.

Turkish students and the others (although I do not know their language.) were really warm towards me. They were hugging me and trying to pull me from one side in the garden to the other one. Even the ones whose classes I do not attend were smiling to me and asking me questions.

This week I followed Dafne's and Adinda's classes and they were always ready to answer any of my questions and they are also so flexible to make me take part in the classes more actively. For instance, the kids and I were playing some games, having interview in their mother tongue and doing the other activities in Turkish which makes these student more comfortable in the class.

Education is crucial in one's life. Education is a combination of school building, school environment, teachers, equipments for students, parents, care-takers at school and the students who are in the center in the process. They are given the utmost importance as they will be the future of the world. A kid changes and a world changes. Thus, any kids cannot be overlooked in the education.

First Contact & First Touch....

The 15th of September was the first day of my Comenius Assistanship. It can be also considered that this was the first working day of mine after graduation from university. I was a little bit excited, but at the same time self-confident enough to do anything in the class.

Magda, the director of the school, told me that I will start with Hilde's class in the morning and then will go on with Dafne's class in the afternoon and on Wednesday in the morning.

In Hilde's class, there are pupils who are 2.5 or 3 years old. She also works with Marleen who is a part-time teacher in Piramide. As this week, it would be like a orientation week, I was just trying to discover this new environment and the kids, as well. The pupils were so young and when the teachers introduced me to them, they were a little bit shy at the same time. Yet, it did not take so much time to get used to each other. I started to play with kids, help the teachers in the class and meet the needs of the pupils.

Their love towards me was so pure and their feelings were so innocent, this made me really happy; moreover, it motivated me to do more. I was also asking as many questions as possible to the teachers whenever I have time to get answers. They were patiently answering my questions in a very detailed way.

In break times, the teachers were also great to help me to get orientated to the school.

In the afternoon, I attended classes with Dafne. Her class was older than Hilde's. Getting adapted to the Dafne's class also did not take so much time and the kids adopted me as their teacher quickly. We played some games in Turkish so that they can understand the rules better. It worked a little bit, but still there are some. However, it is also something related with their mental development; in other words, to have such problems at this age is acceptable.

In brief, the first day at the school was pretty good and it seems that while I am tryng to teach something, I will learn many things, as well. Now, I understand better why education is a life-long process.

Introduction to the Teachers

On the 14th of September, Luc told me that I will have some time to introduce myself to my future colleagues in Piramide and to get them close Turkey a little bit. In the presentation, I tried to give as much detailed information as possible about me so that they will have an idea about "Who Ufuk is?" better.I was also ready for the possible questions. I think that I did my presentation as well as I was expected. All in all, I strongly believe that the school and I will benefit from this experience greatly in this process.

Tour of Gent on the 5th of September

Today, my landlord Lucie and I had a great tour of Gent. She showed me some important places in Gent. I had some shopping and was trying to discover this city at the same time... As most of the people speak English well, it will not be a problem for me to communicate, but I will learn their language anyway.

Arrival in Belgium on the 4th of September

I arrived at Belgium on th 4th of Sepember. Then, I came to Gent by Train and had a nice chat with a woman on the train. After that, Luc welcomed me very warmly at the train station in Gent. Finally, we came where I was going to stay...