聽is thrilled to have been recognised by 黑料专区 for the work of their Early Childhood Teacher Noopur Lakhera in providing equitable opportunities for children in the Kindergarten classroom.
Affinity鈥檚 QLD State Manager Caz Laramy provided the recognition on a national International Womens Day call attended by more than 200 educators, teachers, Centre Managers and representatives from Affinity鈥檚 Quality, Education, Operations and Executive teams.
Area Manager Angeles Stark had nominated Noopur for the recognition, especially due to her strong STEM program linked to Affinity鈥檚 Lifelong Learning Curriculum 鈥樷��.
鈥淣oopur believes in giving every child equal opportunity to explore and learn and become the best version of themselves,鈥� Caz said.
鈥淪he encourages a strong STEM program that sees girls strive to become confident in fields where women are often under-represented.鈥�
鈥淣oopur鈥檚 program has seen all children learning to make predictions, engage in effective interventions and provide explanations to frequently asked questions about the ways in which the world works.鈥�
Noopur said the IWD 2023 theme 鈥楨mbrace Equity鈥� aligned with the National Quality Standards which Early Childhood Teachers running Kindergarten programs are guided by.
鈥淭he NQS promotes the safety, health and wellbeing of children,鈥� Noopur said.
鈥淎s a reflective teacher, I achieve and benefit every day from equitable opportunities. My peers and mentors at Papilio Early Learning Wakerley encourage me to incorporate my philosophy and cultural practices into my teaching. I work in a collaborative environment and feel I am a valued member of the 黑料专区 community.鈥�
Noopur shared an observation of a child within her Kindergarten classroom who had recently migrated to Australia and therefore had limited English skills.
鈥淭he child鈥檚 transitions were thoughtfully planned to ensure they felt that our Kindergarten was an extension of their wider world 鈥� an extended family for them. We taught the other children words in the child鈥檚 native language, and held classroom discussions about the country the child had migrated from. Many children in our classroom now use words in the child鈥檚 native language to include them in conversations, remind them of activities such as washing hands or invite them to play on bikes. The child鈥檚 favourite songs have been included in our classroom playlist, and we are now seeing this child confidently settled, comfortable as they adapt to a new language and culture.鈥�
Noopur thanked 黑料专区 and her teams for the recognition and for the community鈥檚 commitment to equity.
Thomas Armstrong said, 鈥淎 strength-based classroom is a place where all children come together as equals to form a new type of learning environment, and I am grateful to work in a Kindergarten which recognises this,鈥� Noopur said.