Leaving Primary Teaching

Everyone says my Hygge journey but it really is a journey and mine started after similar circumstances to Kimberly. I was a primary school teacher working in the nursery department. I then left to become a childminder in my own home which enabled me to establish my own ethos and environment.

I had completed the Wonderlust course during the first Lockdown with my own children and wanted to build up my confidence again so that I could be the best for the children so I began the accreditation.

As a parent of a child with additional needs I wanted to be able to work with the children individually and follow their interests but also inspire them with new experiences so that they would learn at their own pace. For me the pandemic had some positives and one of these was that we often spent time outside appreciating the small things helping us to rebalance so that was where I started.

I am always evaluating, seeing what works and what doesn’t and so through the conferences and the modules I was able to tweek my environment. My home and classrooms were always filled with natural light, plants and toys so I found I didn’t need to make many big environment changes as I was working from home. However, whenever I did make a purchase, I was mindful of how I wanted it to fit in and would it benefit the children. One big change I did make was to decorate my living room and so we didn’t want to be too bright but a calming colour so we opted for a green. When my advisor arrived from my local authority, she commented on how the room felt calming and that the children seemed really comfortable in the environment.

Coming from a teaching background it was hard to begin to take the lead from the children, worrying about what Ofsted would think and how did I know if the children were learning. But taking little steps I found that because I would chat about what we had done with their parents and other fellow child minders I found that this was all that mattered. I began getting tips from other people such as Sam and Immy Goldsworthy and this year began using a diary to write ideas for activities that linked with their interests or seasons gathered from observations and questionnaires from parents, then writing notes of what we actually did each day which would intern be used for future ideas. I needn’t have worried about Ofsted as she loved how I knew the children and followed their lead.

Nature is at the heart of my practice and I slowly developed my outdoor area such as building a dinosaur area but also thinking about all year round and how we could use them or make them attractive for play.

We also use the Wonderlust booklets for seasonal ideas encouraging the children to stop and look, and the children I have had since 2019 are now influencing the younger children to take note. It truly is wonderful when all the children stop to watch a snail on the grass and know that you have encouraged them to apricate the small things.

I am close to my parents and they love children so come for a play and chat and I noticed their impact on each other so I thought about visiting a local home but with covid this was not to be. However, a new sheltered accommodation opened with a café, we try and visit often smiling and saying hello to the residents, I am hoping to eventually make connections so my Hygge journey hasn’t stopped just because I’ve finished the accreditation but I plant to keep revisiting the steps to success.

Thank you Kimberly and fellow Hygge practitioners.