“You’ve Sure Got Patience, Miss, I Couldn't Do What You Do.”
Published: Nov 14, 2022 Reading time: 2 minutes
This past summer, we spent time with the children from the preschool club and their parents. Thanks to these shared experiences, we got to know each other better, making our cooperation more meaningful and efficient.
In September, our Preschool Club met with children and parents from Kladno (a city northwest of Prague) from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Our main goal was to spend time with the kids and prepare them (as well as their parents!) for a smooth transition into kindergarten.
For this reason, we organised a number of events for the whole family in order to create good memories and valuable shared experiences. We visited a number of different zoos: the Zájezd Zoo, the Olovnice Zoo, the Obůrka Podháj in Třebichovice and, finally, a small private zoo in Malešov where we slept in a tent and roasted sausages on an open fire.
But that’s not all we did. After one young participant announced, “I'd rather go for a walk in the forest and to the castle. I don't like the zoo. I don't enjoy it so much because the animal stink,” we shifted gears and planned an entirely new activity.
We took the kids to Křivoklát Castle and walked with them along the nature trail. We also visited the town of Lužna u Rakovníka, home of an excellent train museum.
Thanks to these joint outings, we had a lot of opportunities to get to really get to know one another, which is important because we know that finding common ground has a significant impact on future successful cooperation between our employees and children. What’s more, these outings are also important for parents, as they learn about new, fun and educational activities they can do together with their kids.
Sometimes, some of the mothers say things to us like, “you sure have patience, Miss, I couldn't do what you do.” And while it’s true that our work is challenging, we want to do it because it’s meaningful.
Parents trust us with their children and confide their struggles and worries to us. Things such as, “this is terrible. He doesn't want to go to that school at all, he just wants to go back to daycare.”
Because they know they we are here for them. We want to support the upbringing and education of their children and help their family. After all, we know that good interpersonal relationships are the cornerstone of a happy family and a well-functioning society.
