A Taichung City kindergarten recently came under fire for allegedly confining children in small, dark spaces, forcing them to mimic animals during meals, and taping their hands and mouths, among other accusations. Chiayi City also reported an incident where an educational caregiver mixed up children’s name tags, causing a parent to pick up the wrong child from school.
The continuous mishaps from childcare facilities have left parents disappointed and questioning the integrity of these centers.
Early childhood education lays a crucial foundation for future education. At this young age, children are inspired intellectually, motivated to learn, develop good habits and establish the right morals.
When teachers use their positions effectively, they play a vital role in helping children build strong physical and mental health, shaping them into responsible citizens.
On the other hand, improper or abusive discipline inevitably affects children’s physical and mental health, hindering their learning and intellectual development.
The frequent occurrence of child abuse incidents in kindergartens largely relates to institutions’ operational philosophies and teachers’ poor emotional management.
Operators that view kindergartens as business opportunities rather than educational facilities prioritize making profits, subjecting educators to few work benefits and long work hours, and skimping on necessary safety and teaching equipment.
Underpaid and overworked teachers are likely to have low morale, and when faced with sometimes difficult or disobedient children, they might easily lose control of their emotions and lash out at the children. This is where teachers’ self-awareness comes into play.
Children in kindergartens are like fledgelings; only through care and patience from their caretakers would they learn the proper skillsets they need.
Those who are frequently scolded, yelled at or subjected to violence likely grow up traumatized and avoidant, which is detrimental to their learning and development.
A visit to a kindergarten brings into view joyful children hugging their principal, highlighting their strong intimate bond. Female teachers can be seen with a loving smile on their faces, patiently guiding the children to assemble toys.
The value of early childhood education lies not in grandiose infrastructure, impressive licenses or peculiar teaching methods, but in a safe and friendly environment, sensible management, and most importantly, enthusiasm, love and care from teachers.
Only with good student-teacher interactions can a trusting relationship between parents and teachers be established.
Ultimately, the key to good child education lies in the dedication of the operators, and the love and patience of the teachers.
Shiao Fu-song is a lecturer at National Taitung University.
Translated by Wang Yun-fei
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS