COVID, war... What next? Feels like we are living in the end times.
I don't know about you, but for me, 2022 has been the toughest year yet. With wave after wave of bad news, it's difficult to find a reason to live a life worth living.
Thankfully, I have the support of my family and friends. Without them, I certainly wouldn't be where I am today.
Since I've been struggling with my emotions a whole lot, it gave me the inspiration to create a simple resource - the social-emotional learning flashcards you see below. They include the six core emotions, appropriate responses, and positive affirmations.
As a child, I thought that emotions such as anger and disgust were bad, so I just buried them deep down. Now, I know that emotions serve a wide range of purposes, including alerting us to danger.
While the cards are made simple enough for preschoolers to use, they include positive affirmations - which even I, as an adult, need reminders of oftentimes.
Here's hoping they're of use to you!
More info: amazon.co.uk
I've been fully committed to my role as a preschool teacher. However, with the onset of COVID-19, I shifted my focus towards pursuing my passion for writing and illustrating my own stories.
Back in secondary school, I thought about becoming an artist as a job. But I got discouraged because some people said art didn't have a good future, and I didn't believe in my skills as I only got a 'B' in my Art exam. Even though I didn't study art later on, I found that art was still part of what I learned. In my Mass Comm Diploma, I had a course about Graphic Design basics, and during my Teaching Degree, I learned about The Artistic and Expressive Child. So, art was always important to me, even in my other studies and career.
After earning my teaching degree, I naturally began my career in education. However, as time went on, I realized that I wasn't as happy with my job as I had expected to be. The parts I enjoyed the most were the moments when I could explore various art forms. This led me to consider pursuing a job that involves art, or perhaps one where I can exclusively teach art.
Art allows me to express my thoughts and ideas in a way that words can't fully capture. Some things are hard to explain with just words, and life is often complicated. Art helps me understand the world and myself better. I can write my thoughts down or create pictures that tell powerful stories without using many words.
