The governess is . The meaning of the word "governess". What is the work of a governess?

When you read or hear the word "governess", then every person has quite certain associations. I don’t know how anyone has it, but for me the governess is primarily the literary images of Mary Poppins and Lady Freken Bock, created by the beautiful writers Pamela Travers and Astrid Lindgren.

These two images determine what a governess should and should not be for a child. My objection is that Freken Bock is a housekeeper. I will not argue. But her relationship with the Kid is a very vivid and figurative example of how an employee, no matter how he is called, should not communicate with a child!

The meaning of the word "governess", or What should the governess do

Quite often, parents thinking about hiring a governess cannot imagine what the difference is between a nanny, a housekeeper and a governess. In the view of such parents, all employees of these specialties should deal with the child, go shopping with the shopping list, clean the apartment, cook dinner and feed the baby.

This idea of ​​the governess’s work is incorrect. A tutor or governess is a specialist engaged in the development and upbringing of a child, in contrast to a nanny, whose task is to look after and care for the child, ensuring his safety. But let's look at the dictionaries and see how they interpret the meaning of the word “governess”.

What do dictionaries and encyclopedias write?

So, according to the Small Academic Dictionary, a governess is a teacher in bourgeois and noble families, usually a foreigner, hired to educate and educate children at home.

In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the following definition is given: “Governess, governer (French gouvernante, gouverneur, from gouverner -“ to lead, control ”) - home carers, mentors of children in noble or bourgeois families. In Russia, they became widespread in the 18-19 centuries. ”

Given how the word “governess” is explained in dictionaries, the meaning of the term could be interpreted as follows: this is a person who exercises control and raising children according to the requirements of parents.

A similar approach was quite appropriate in the 18-19 centuries. Then the nanny was engaged in the health and upbringing of children, while the governess acted as a tutor-tutor, teaching the pupil the rules of etiquette, norms of behavior in society and foreign languages.

Today, when young mothers build a career, and young grandmothers successfully continue it, most families are ready to hire a specialist who will deal with both the upbringing and development of the child. But before starting the search, you should decide what the governess will work with your child and what qualities such an employee should have.

We draw up the requirements for the governess. Governess for a preschool child

First of all, think about the age of your child. If the baby is from 3 to 5 years old, then you need a specialist who will not only educate and train, but will be able to provide care for his student. That is, the work of the governess will consist not only in various developmental games and activities with your child, but also in changing clothes and washing, warming food and feeding your child. Such a governess is a specialist who is well aware of the characteristics of developmental psychology and physiology of children, capable of giving the child the necessary knowledge in a playful and entertaining way.

It is also important for what time you plan to hire a specialist. So, if your child goes to a preschool, and the governess will pick him up and engage in the development of the child and his preparation for school, then you need a governess with a special, preferably pre-school, teacher education.

If the governess’s main job with your child is to transport him from a kindergarten or a mug to his home and the parents’ boring job expectation, it doesn’t matter if the governess has a higher education or not. The most important thing in this case is that the governess has experience and skills in working with children and caring for them, is positively inclined and the child has a good and trusting relationship with her. Specialists are invited to a specific number of hours each day, in most cases in the afternoon.

When for some reason a child cannot attend a preschool, then you need to look for a specialist for 6-8 hours, that is, for a whole day. The work of the governess during such a working day will consist in observing the daily regimen corresponding to the child’s age, organizing his meals, maintaining cleanliness and putting everything in order that concerns him.

Work governess with school children

If the governess is engaged with a schoolchild, then her main tasks will be to prepare lessons, “pull up” subjects that cause difficulties, and also to carry out various domestic duties that are set for him in the family together with the pupil.

In addition, the duties of the governess include, if it is prescribed in the contract and necessary, to see off and meet the child from school, sections, circles or after classes with a tutor.

Of great importance in the work of the governess is her ability in teaching the child to think, work with information, in developing his desire to gain new knowledge.

Not the main, but very useful skills of the governess

In the event that the governess has any additional specialization, for example, speaks several foreign languages, acting, or plays any musical instrument, then, at the request of the parents and an agreement with a specialist, additional classes with the child are possible in the field of specialization of the tutor or governess.

In addition to the duties of raising and educating the child, the compatibility of the governess with you, your ideas about the educational and educational process, is important.

It is important that the person you intend to hire only arouses positive emotions and trust in you. Typically, a governess is invited to a child aged 3 years or older. Your child may well express his opinion about the specialist, especially if you ask him about it!

What is the work of the governess?

1. First of all, she cares about the physical and mental well-being of your child, following the observance of the regime of the day and nutrition, alternating periods of active activity and rest, the characteristics of the relationship with peers and teachers.

2. Engaged in the comprehensive development of the child, including his intellectual, physical and emotional development.

3. Controls and adjusts the intellectual or physical development, knowledge and skills in certain subjects at school or in classes at a preschool institution.

4. Communicates with teachers, educators, heads of studios and circles, monitoring the performance and level of achievement of their pupil.

4. Take the child to classes in circles, sections or additional educational institutions, responsible for his life, health and safety.

5. If it is provided for in the contract, the governess may conduct special classes in one area or another, for example, teach a child foreign languages ​​or draw.

This, of course, is a very general outline of what the governess is doing. In each case and a particular family will have its own characteristics and nuances.

We wish you that the governess you have found not only becomes your assistant, but also a true friend, sensitive mentor and beloved teacher of the child throughout his childhood!