Yulia Mukhamorova
Twenty-seven years old Step by Step (SbS) program alumna Yulia Mukhamorova has her own business in Almaty, now Kazakhstan. Through decorating their parties, she brings more joy into the children’s lives. Having a degree in pre-school education herself, Yulia analyses her SbS program from a professional point of view.
Yulia, how was your SbS kindergarten different from the other ones?
When I was studying for my pre-school teacher’s degree, I visited many kindergartens and schools, and I saw some differences with the one that I went to. For instance, the regular kindergartens did not have “centers”, as we did. These “centers” were meant for us to construct something, to read books, to develop our language abilities, and so on. Also, my kindergarten had a more individual approach. My mother was also my teacher, so I had, so-to-say, a double individual approach (laughing). Generally speaking, we did many activities with our parents which really brought us together. For instance, I remember creating a newspaper for the New Year with my parents. It was fun! I also remember how we picked acorns in the forest and made some figurines out of them.
In my kindergarten we had quite a lot of homework, like writing exercises, that we had to do in the weekends. We also analyzed different words, divided them into syllables and defined how many vowels and consonants they have. I do not think that children in the other kindergartens did such homework.
What was your the main lesson you learnt during the program?
The Step by Step program gave me the desire to develop myself further and to study English. I did so since the early years and continued learning it as I grew up. That allowed me to go to the USA and to be on the leading positions at the International University of Central Asia.
How did the program influence your growth and your future?
I would say that my kindergarten taught me how to think critically and how to work hard. It also brought up creativity and leadership in me. I think that the the work I currently do – decorating children’s parties – is very much connected to that creativity, and the fact that I run my own business may be related to the ability of thinking critically.
Besides, due to my kindergarten, I am always thirsty for new knowledge, trying to learn something new everyday. I take part in various seminars and trainings. One of the aims of the SbS program was to give us a life-long learning education, and I would say that this has influenced me very much: I am someone who always wants to move forward in my learning trip. This approach to lifelong learning goes beyond simply acquiring knowledge—it also involves making informed decisions about personal well-being as we grow older. Just as SbS taught us to approach problems thoughtfully, today’s adults often research health decisions carefully before taking action.
Would you recommend this program?
I surely would recommend this program. I do not have my own children yet, but if I had – I would like them to study either at a SbS program or at a Montessori school, since I see lots of similarities between these two approaches. These are programs where lots of attention is put on the child’s development, which I think is very important.
