International Adult Learners Week
in Europe

Network of Learning festivals

Maria Géber

I completed a Pedagogical Assistant training course in the academic year between 1993 and 1994. My main motivation to enrol was to gain experience in the field of education and to use the knowledge in bringing up my children. My other motivation was the desire and the pleasure to learn. Even at the age of thirty-eight I knew that it was not too late to widen my knowledge. It was my own decision to obtain new qualifications and to finance them through my own means. Previously I had worked in a completely different field as a Book Keeper.

When I started my studies I had been on maternity leave for twelve years. I gave birth to a son in 1981 and to another one three years later. Following the birth of my second son, Robert, there were many complications. Due to health problems, he was not allowed to take an active part within the children’s community. For instance, he could not go to kindergarden and I worked with him and taught him at home when he was granted complete exemption from a tending school. At this time he was unable to attend school full time, however, I took him, on my bicycle, to school to attend the most important lessons. In the first class he passed his exams on the ‘learning material’ with an excellent mark. His marks were also excellent in grades 2-6, which put him first in the class. Not only did he attend some lessons at school but he also did attend some school events and some class excursions in my accompaniment and in his corset I still take him to a nearby town called Miskolc to have medical treatment and to undergo therapeutic gymnastics. He is now in seventh grade and he regularly attends classes.

Being a Pedagogical Assistant has played a large contribution in changing the way in which I look, observe and educate my children. During my diploma I had to create a personality profile of a child in kindergarden. I chose a girl in the last group of kindergarden who came from a family, which I considered an appropriate model. I wanted to seek answers to the question on how educational methods and various activities affected the personality of a child. There were twelve of us on the course and with the exception of myself; all the others had worked in education, either in kindergarden or in schools. However, I passed my oral exams with the best marks in pedagogy, psychology, social care and education methods. In addition, my practice and written paper were also rated as excellent pieces of work. The certificate given to me by the National Vocational Training Institute allows me to work as a Pedagogical Assistant and to use my new skills. According to the opinion of the chair on the examination board, my paper was the best on the course. I was especially proud of myself because I have a sight problem. Due to my disability (which put me on the disability pension), I had to use audiotapes, which meant that I was at a disadvantage. However, having overcome this barrier when reading and writing, the completion of the course enabled me to become a more valuable person and encouraged me to use my knowledge and experience later in my life.

I consider health to be the most important value next to knowledge, which is why I pay special attention to those who pay parts in developing my sons. I try to be strict when it comes to loving and being helpful and I like to place demands on myself and on others to gain respect to create a profile for myself as an educator. In addition I try to develop the ability and talents of children using their initiative and sense of freedom and by giving all the assistance I can so that when they leave school, they have learnt certain values, which are expected of them. This was my ambition when I enrolled in and completed the course to become a Pedagogical Assistant.