Many years ago, a newly approved eMediator posted on his Facebook page – “Today I became a Granny”. And indeed he did!
Because age (so long as it is above 21) and gender is no bar to being a member of the Granny Cloud team. And Grannies come in all shapes and sizes too! With many distinctive interests and pursuits, personalities and professions; the Grannies are an interesting bunch of people.
Sylvie lights up
Belinda’s smile gets them motivated
Some are immensely quiet – lighting up with their own special smile when they are with the children and proceed to engage in all kinds of interesting activities to provoke the children’s curiosity. Others can talk nineteen to the dozen and by the sheer force of their charisma can keep children spellbound – online and in person. Some share every bit of their experiences with other Grannies, others make the occasional comment.
A quick game with Lorraine
Enchanted sessions with Ruby
Some are ‘veterans’ who just can’t resist interacting with almost every group of children the Granny Cloud connects with, and love the occasional challenge of working with particularly vulnerable groups while indulging in the comfort of regular interactions with groups they meet every week. And there are others who remain somewhat uncomfortable online and prefer to have met the children in person so then they can take that acquaintance further later on during Granny sessions on Skype. There are those who make it a point to visit far flung centres so they can share their insights with the other Grannies.
Jackie interacts with a regular group
Yet another visit from Liz: They love her “Jelly on a plate” song!
There are Grannies who spend their days at relatively routine office jobs yet manage to slide in several hours of Granny sessions a week the moment they find a moment or two. Camille. There are Grannies who are passionate about the world and rail against its inequalities by giving of themselves in every possible way to causes dear to their heart. There are Grannies who apply their professional skills in language education to groups rather different from what they came across in the course of their careers. Some Grannies have the most amazing diction and its impact on the children’s understanding of new words is visible in just a few sessions. Some Grannies speak just one language; others speak three, even four.
GCRN with Camille
Grade 1 children with Val
Some Grannies are really young, still pursuing graduate degrees and more, and they jump in with all the enthusiasm of youth. Other Grannies are getting on in age and often find themselves recovering from a variety of physical disabilities (knee and hip replacements among them) but give of the wisdom born of decades of life experiences. Other Grannies have faced life’s sorrows including the death of loved ones and garner strength from these overpowering losses to bring a smile to a child in a faraway land…
Yet, there are some qualities that tie them together. Among them – a love of life and children, a sense of adventure, a great deal of patience and frustration tolerance, and a desire to enrich their own and children’s lives wherever they might be.
Like I said, Grannies come in ALL shapes and Sizes…
Perhaps….you could be a Granny too?
