Natasha is a single mother of two boys, ages 10 and 15, and lives in Atlantis, roughly 65km north of Cape Town. Ten years ago, Natasha witnessed a disturbing incident in her home that left her severely traumatised. As a result, she turned to drugs to cope with the dual burdens of post-traumatic stress and the demands of being a single mother. When her two children were removed from her care and sent to stay with their grandmother in Mamre, Natasha was taken in at a shelter in Atlantis. From the shelter, she was sent to a rehabilitation Centre where she received treatment for her addiction. After two years of support from the Centre, not only was Natasha finally deemed drug-free, but she had also begun to process the deep-seated anger that had built up inside her. It was a slow process but Natasha was slowly starting to get her life back on track.
A new start in ECD
Natasha met Charlene while staying at the Centre. She was one of the staff members and the two developed a deep connection. Charlene supported Natasha in every way she could, and helped her look for work as soon as she was deemed “clean”. Charlene eventually introduced Natasha to Jolene, the owner of Butterflies Educare in Atlantis. With a strong desire to turn her life around, a great love for children and a keen interest in early childhood development, Natasha was employed by “Aunty Jolene” as an ECD facilitator at the Educare. Natasha plunged straight into her new and positive life-changing role, further challenging herself by immediately starting with her NQF level 1.
As part of her skills-enhancement journey in ECD, Natasha was later introduced to book-sharing. She had no prior exposure to book-sharing and eagerly attended the training sessions led by Aunty Jolene (who had been trained on book-sharing techniques by the Mikhulu Trust).
Natasha tells us that she was fascinated by book-sharing, but at first, she felt a little skeptical and anticipated how the more reserved children in her class might respond to the wordless books. Once putting into practice all she had learned, Natasha quickly noticed how even the quietest children were drawn out of their shells when participating in book-sharing discussions. She later said: “Book-sharing allowed me to explore while letting the children lead – it showed me a different way to what I knew. All the children were very interested in the discussions about the pictures in the books… even the shy ones.”
Fresh perspectives through book-sharing
When book-sharing, Natasha thrives on the energy of the children. She explains what she has learned: “The wordless books are a completely different experience for the children compared to what they were used to. The “normal books” have words which you read and the children must follow, but they get to memorise and repeat the words – it’s formal and very routine. But if you’re using a wordless book, you interact with the children and the children interact with you. They do a lot more of the talking. Children have different opinions and it’s much more interesting to hear their views on the story. I love it! I find it much more enjoyable, and I know that the children find it very exciting when it comes to story time.” She reports: “There have been changes in the children, like with the introverted children – they talk now whereas they would have just sat and watched me read a book to them before.”
While it all might sound as though everything has simply fallen into place, the reality is that the journey hasn’t been easy for Natasha. Following the trauma she had experienced all those years ago, she had initially struggled to deal with her anger, but working with the children has healed much of the negativity within her.
“Natasha has been going from victory to victory.” Charlene shares: “It’s as though working with the children is a comfort for her now. Her own children are also back in her life and when they’re not with their grandmother, they spend the holidays with her.”
Natasha has found book-sharing to be a ground-breaking technique, which has become a regular activity in her classroom schedule. Rather than being “facilitator” and “child”, Natasha’s little learners have bonded with her through book-sharing sessions, and there is an open connection between them now, more than ever before.
Natasha is highly motivated to further her studies in ECD. To date, she has completed her NQF Level 1 and is currently busy with a Level 4 in education, with plans to do her NQF Level 5 next year. After that, Natasha aims to study towards becoming a grade R teacher. Book-sharing is a versatile technique that Natasha can take into this new arena, and we are confident her skills using wordless picture books will grow from strength to strength.
