Samantha started teaching more than 9 years ago, but her path into teaching was not direct. After graduating with a degree in psychology, she began working in finance. However, children had always been at the center of her life, her mother has run a home daycare since Samantha was one year old, so she grew up surrounded by children and constant play, which she describes as the best way to grow up.
The path to teaching
Throughout high school and university, Samantha volunteered with organizations that supported children and even specialized in child psychology, yet teaching was not initially on her radar. After six years in finance, she realized it was not the path she wanted long term. Reflecting on what had always made her happiest, working with children, connecting with people, and exploring the world, she recognized that teaching was the perfect way to bring all those passions together. Her background in psychology now plays a key role in her ECD teaching, helping her understand children’s developmental needs, support their emotional wellbeing, and design learning experiences that are age-appropriate, responsive, and nurturing.
Inspiring a global mindset in ECD
Having spent many years teaching in the United States, Samantha finds it especially meaningful now to work in a setting where children come from all over the world, each bringing their own culture, language, and experiences. In her view, embracing a global mindset is not just something to be taught, it is a daily reality that students experience by learning, playing, and growing together.
In Early Childhood, Samantha helps students begin to see themselves as part of many different communities, their family, their school, their neighborhood, their city, their country, and the wider world. One way she supports this is by connecting with Early Childhood teachers across the Dwight global network. For example, during the Community Helpers unit, she is helping to develop a pen pal program where students exchange letters, drawings, photos, and postcards with other kindergarteners at Dwight’s other schools. It is a powerful way for young children to discover that even though people may live in different places, they share many common experiences, feelings, and interests.
Helping students see themselves as part of something much bigger than their classroom or home is one of the most rewarding aspects of Samantha’s work.
