Educational book from Limerick author is a tool to empower young minds
FROM preschool teacher, then preschool owner, and now author, Ballybricken native Agnes McEvilly Hayes knows a thing or two about preschool education, and discusses her experiences with all things child autonomy in her latest release.
Her book, entitled Child Centred Education touches on the idea of “wholeheartedly” embracing “every opportunity” which occurs in school and life, to set a child on their “road to discovery” through freedom and autonomy.
Agnes started teaching in 1978, working with children of kindergarten age in the UK. “I love learning, and I thought I could do the two by teaching, because you always have to be a step ahead of the child,” she stated.
At the time of retirement, Agnes and her husband moved back to Ireland, settling in Galway. Here, she found herself “not ready to retire,” and realised she could open and run her own preschool in her new homeland.
After closing the preschool in 2017, the author took her hunger for knowledge and decided to share it with the public through her book.
“My experiences with children lead me to believe that they want to learn and respond very well when channelled and challenged,” she said, “becoming adept learners in no time at all.”
The book details many “exercises” she participated in with the children, with one example, detailing the children on a nature walk. While learning of flora and fauna, the children were ”unwittingly learning road safety and the manners of life,” Agnes wrote.
Available in O'Mahony's booksellers and online through Austin Macauley Publishers, the Limerick author hopes parents and teachers can learn from her experiences.