What's it like to work in Gymboree? Fun! The Gymboree team is a very close-knit group, with one objective - to provide top quality classes for children and to build a solid platform for life-long learning., writes Kate Redmond Gymboree teacher
Current position: Gymboree Teacher and On The Go Manager
For me, working in Gymboree has been a great opportunity to study early childhood education as new ideas and methods are always on the horizon. It has also been a great way to meet new people - workmates, mothers, fathers, nannies or anyone else who comes into our play centres. It's a great place for parents to learn what activities their children will respond to and enjoy at any age or any stage of development. For Gymboree employees, it means we are constantly varying our class content and most importantly, we get to play games all day long!
How does this job compare to your last job? Being a professional dancer, I have a background in performance arts. After touring with Lord of the Dance for quite some time, I returned home and produced Rock 'n' Reels, a contemporary Irish dance troupe. Meanwhile, I completed a Health and Fitness course. Shortly after, I learned of the Gymboree programme and its extensive experience in developmental learning for children. It seemed the perfect opportunity to put all of my experience and qualifications to use. Three years later and I still love every minute of it!
What's the best part of your job? Going into a crèche or school every morning or in their after-school class, seeing the children's faces and hearing their squeals of delight at the thought of what activities I will be leading them through. It could be anything from taking an imaginary trip to the beach to pick up shells and make a sand castle, to using maracas to shake, rattle and roll their way around the room in a high-energy dance.
What's the hardest part of your job? In Gymboree we are continually redefining our role in developmental learning for children. For this reason it is necessary to come up with new and exciting activities, with the same superior developmental characteristics Gymboree prides itself on providing. In the music programme alone there are 16 musical themes - everything from rock to Latin, classical to reggae, jazz to Celtic. Our Gymboree teachers really work hard to research new games and activities
Who's your education idol? My mother and father. From an early age they encouraged me to experience music, dance and the arts at my own pace. They backed me in decisions to take up new challenges and allowed me the freedom to make my own choices. My father comes from a very athletic family and has succeeded in football; my mother is incredibly creative.
If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be? I'd like to offer our programmes to children in a wider age range. At the moment, our programmes cater for children between birth and seven years of age, with the view that children will continue their education in primary school. Although schools do run music programmes, I would love to see Gymboree offer extra curricular classes in musical education, similar to dance classes we held, for children between seven and 15.
What's unique about Gymboree? There is a team of programming experts behind me who created the curriculum of activities to maximise the learning benefits.
When I teach a Gymboree class, in addition to my own experience and qualifications, I have their years of education, experience and leadership working to help each child reach his or her potential. To that end, Gymboree classes, programmes and products evolve constantly for families of young children all around Ireland. As it is ever changing, it is never dull.
