Interview with the entertainer of the children’s club in Kazakhstan Resort House
Why did you choose the profession of educator? Did you have any other options?
I suppose it was predetermined for me. I was a camp counselor when I was at school, and my teacher of the Russian language and literature strongly recommended me a pedagogical university. I grew up in a family of educators: my mother is a primary school teacher and a preschool teacher. But I decided to take a different track. That was time when computers, apparatus and devices were very popular. Then I received an economics degree: accountant-economist, financial manager. I worked for nineteen years in Nevinnomyssk Tax Inspectorate. In 2012, I moved to Yessentuki, where I worked as a treasurer at the Federal Treasury, auditor at the Social Insurance Fund, leading expert in the Department of Physical Training and Sports of the Yessentuki Administration, as well as methodologist at the Corporate Energy Institute. And when I worked at the institute, I retrained as a methodologist in the sphere of education. I remembered my school teacher at once! And now I am an entertainer at the resort house children’s club. This experience is especially valuable, you see how children grow and develop while their families relax and recover all together.
Is being an educator a great responsibility? Is it difficult?
Of course, it is a great responsibility. This profession requires courage, as the educator shares both the positive and negative aspects in the children’s development. Responsibility is for brave people. This is especially important where the children, who came to the resort house, are concerned. I try to create a comfortable and safe environment for them so that to allow their parents to relax.
Have the children changed during your work? Do you feel generation gap? How does it impact the arrangement of leisure activities in the resort house?
Time passes, everything changes, of course, so do children. Modern children are very well rounded. Preschoolers have become more active, noisy, emotional. But their physical development is often weak, they don’t really like physical activities, they prefer computer to role-playing games. Some children like active games, while others spend hours with a construction set.
Modern children do not always know how to listen and hear other people, show compassion, wait. At that they feel at home with complex technologies, sometimes even better than adults. Independent living skills are rather difficult for them, it is becoming less common to hear the phrase: “I’ll do it by myself!”. It doesn’t seem that they want to grow up. When they ask for help, I always answer: “Let’s do it together!”
Modern children are characterized with different traits, they are rather controversial, but it is very interesting to be with children! I try to take these features into consideration in the resort house. I offer them activities which combine movement, creativity, and communication with fellows. I want the children to have fun and make the most of their time while their parents regenerate energy.
What do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobby?
I spend most of my time at work, but I also manage to fulfill family responsibilities. I like cooking, I treat my family with delicious dishes. Ever more often I just want to lie on the couch with a cup of tea and cake, watching a comedy. This helps me recover strength to be able to give children my energy and care every day.
Which special features are required for the person who has decided to become an educator, especially in a resort house?
A educator should love children, be a friend for them, with whom they may play and talk secretively. An educator helps a child develop relationship with other children, he or she should become someone with whom the child wants to impart happiness or grief.
A modern educator needs patience, kindness, erudition, as we have to work not only with children, but also with parents. In the resort house, an ability to get on well with different children and parents as soon as possible is especially important, it is important to take into consideration their individual needs and wishes. Our main goal is to make your rest as comfortable and useful as possible for the whole family.
Love for children is the main thing for me.
I am sure that the authentic right to educate is not only a diploma, but a vocation, the main criterion of which is indifference to other people’s destinies, high human qualities, which determine the basis of teaching activities.
Please tell us about your professional awards and achievements?
I try to improve my professional skills, participating in the events related to my work. I have achieved a lot during my work, but one of my most key achievements is to see interest in children’s eyes, to hear them asking “why”. It is very important to see a child joyfully running to a children’s club after a weekend to dole out news to friends and adults, and in the evening it turns out that the time spent together has passed too quickly. But I suppose the greatest reward is to see the happy faces of children and their grateful parents who return to the resort house over and over again, knowing that their children are in safe hands, and they are able to relax and recover.
Do you think that the interaction between the educators and parents plays an important role in the educational process, especially in a resort house?
Of course! The relationship between the family and the children’s institution is one of crucial factors, which may improve the quality of education. Favorable conditions for the development, education and upbringing of a child can be realized only in case of close cooperation of the family and the educator. If the interaction between the educator and parents is based on partnership, the efficacy of the educational process increases dramatically. In the resort house, this interaction acquires particular prominence. I keep in close touch with the parents to understand the needs of the children, take into consideration their peculiarities and offer activities which will be interesting and useful for them. I want parents to feel that their children are not just under supervision, but have a full-fledged, developing rest while they take care of their health. That is why rest at the resort house with a family is a great opportunity to improve health and spend time together, knowing that the children are in safe hands, developing and having fun!
What would you wish for those people who dream of becoming an educator, especially in the resort house?
To work with children successfully, it is required to gain their trust and earn a reputation from the very first minutes. If you don’t have trust-based relations, there will be issues with discipline, and this will affect the educational process. Children stay in the resort house just for some time, this is especially important. My main mission is to establish a contact, make them feel at home.
Show sincere interest in each child, they should feel that you care. Children are very good at feeling falseness, accordingly, an educator should always be sincere with them.
No matter what difficulties you face, keep your head up. Just remember: “A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step”. Work at the resort house has its own peculiarities, but the joy to see the relaxed and happy families is the best reward.
