By Nicole Findlay
A commitment to children and their development consumes Andre Betim. The fourth-year student in the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies’ Child Studies program has dedicated himself to the field – as a student, a child-care worker and a teacher.
Having obtained a diploma in Early Childhood Education, Betim chose to supplement his practical experience with an academic approach to the study of childhood. Carleton’s program was one of few undergraduate programs available that takes an interdisciplinary approach in examining children and childhood.
“We can’t only study about children from a psycho-developmental perspective without taking into consideration the home environment and its impact on a child,” said Betim. “Furthermore, to understand home environment, we need to understand how society, the economy, history, education, geography, technology, religion and many other facets of our world will affect the child and family directly and indirectly.”
His decision to further his education paid off. Last fall he competed successfully for two positions – one of these, involved data collection and analysis at Statistics Canada. While seemly unrelated to Child Studies, Betim contends his experience with empirical research gained through his thesis work gave him an edge.
Ultimately, Betim accepted an offer from a community health centre as a team leader. The job requires interaction not only with children and their families, but a variety of professionals associated with the health care field.
“That’s where my interdisciplinary training came in handy,” said Betim. “I would have to use my knowledge of psychology, sociology, child development, computer training, writing, decision making, and leadership – all of which I gained while studying at Carleton University.”
Betim’s commitment to child studies does not end with his new job or the completion of his degree. Next winter he intends to pursue his MA. He also shares this passion for learning with his own students. Betim is teaches two courses, Development of Play and Child Profile at Algonquin College.