Jessie O’s Blog


My Professional Journey

AUGUST 2024

“I am an Australian early childhood teacher, and I have worked in a variety of roles centred around children, families and education for seventeen years . . . . “


“Children’s interests, their developmental needs, parent input, reflections, observations, goals, community and centre events, cultural events, excursions and incursions as well as school expectations can all influence . . .”

A paper sheet with handwritten notes outlining factors that inform a program, including children's developmental needs, interests, parent input, reflections, observations, goals, school expectations, cultural events, and community events.

APRIL 2026

“For all those who work with children, whether new to the field or well-seasoned, supervision is something we all need to be vigilant with. Children’s care and safety is paramount. Unfortunately, supervision isn’t usually . . .”

Text graphic stating 'SUPERVISION TIPS' in bold letters on a red background with a speech bubble shape, against a black backdrop.

“With such bustling days, many children, many families, many demands placed upon educators, busy management teams and an unbelievable amount of correspondence coming in and going out . . .”

Two stick figures engaged in a conversation, with one figure speaking and the other listening.

“There are many ways to construct an observation to capture children’s learning and development. There are many points of view or lenses to . . .”

Text graphic stating 'Writing Observations in a Child-Centred Approach' on a vibrant green background.

“Too often have I arrived at work on a rainy day to find most educators deflated, irritable or feeling down. They will then often greet me with . . . “

Text graphic displaying the phrase '1. PLAY IN THE RAIN' in a playful font.

“Each year, as children begin their transition to school, I aim to provide families with as much emotional support and reassurance as possible, accompanied by . . . “

Infographic titled 'Starting Prep in Queensland', outlining steps for parents about enrolling their child in school, featuring illustrations of characters and visual checklists.

“I have often come across various understandings of what success means in early childhood, from different people and bodies. What success for a five-year old might encompass, will mean something different to . . . “

A graphic featuring the text 'we celebrate the holistic achievements and progress of children, not the academic success alone' on a beige background with green borders.

“I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new online workshop . . . Here is a sneak peek of what . . . “

Promotional graphic for an online workshop titled 'Meaningfully Incorporating Natural Items into the Early Years Environment and Program', featuring images of natural items and a smiling woman presenting the workshop.

SEPTEMBER 2025

“As we all know, nature play is important for children and their development. Children need connections to the natural world, to build their understandings about the world they live in, and their place in it. Natural environments that are rich in . . . “

A vertical arrangement of various pebbles and seashells displayed on a light-colored background.

“As a new early childhood teacher, one of the things I struggled with was finding appropriate and outcome-specific resources. Even to this day, I . . .”


“Children often love to take on roles and responsibilities in the classroom. When they have responsibilities, they feel a greater sense of belonging to their learning community, they feel a sense . . . “


“I feel like I’m a teacher 24/7. I know most other teachers and educators feel the same way. Outside of work, I spend my . . .”


“How we connect with parents during parent-teacher interviews or meetings influences our relationships with them and their child. Parent-teacher interviews and meetings provide a great opportunity for . . .”


“There is a lot of research available, that presents evidence for the importance of physical touch and its impact on children’s brain development in early childhood, especially in the period from birth to five years of age . . . “


“You may have heard of the term, “teacher voice”. Many teachers have a particular way of speaking, of projecting their voice without straining it. As a teacher or educator, you use your voice constantly . . .”


“I feel that morning meetings really set the mood for the children and staff for the day. I ALWAYS host a morning meeting, or a group time as it is also called, every day. Morning meetings provide a . . . “


USING MINDMAPS TO DOCUMENT THE LEARNING JOURNEY

“Mindmaps are a great visual method and easy tool for early childhood educators and teachers to use to display the children’s long-term learning journey or journeys. I personally love mindmaps, and . . . ”

JANUARY 2025


“During the festive season, our wellbeing can suffer. Yes, we get to have a few public holidays off from working with children to rest and refresh, but how many of us don’t because we are swamped with Christmas preparation, shopping and cooking?”


“We’ve all had those time periods where, for whatever reason, you need to extend your group time, carpet time or focused teaching time. There may have been . . . “


STARTING OUT AS AN ECT AND THE CHALLENGES I WORKED THROUGH

OCTOBER 2024

“When I first started teaching kindergarten in Queensland in 2010 as a twenty-one-year-old, I faced many challenges, or to word it better, “growth opportunities”. Most of these I developed strategies for and overcame within my first year of teaching . . . . “


Why I Designed the Workshop, “Celebrating Children’s Strengths”

SEPTEMBER 2024

Workshop available online soon


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