Nadif (third from the left) is participating in the New Student Orientation organized by the Open University, where she is currently enrolled. Taken by her friend.
My name is Ana Luthfiyatun Nadhifah. I have been working as a children assistant at Joglo Preschool for almost three years. And this journey has shaped my perspective on life, responsibility, and empathy.
I am the second of two siblings. Then, in 2011, my mother adopted my aunt’s three-month-old grandchild, who has lived with us ever since. In 2017, my mother passed away due to diabetes. At the time, I had just started my first year of high school. Since then, I have lived without my mother’s guiding hand. In 2019, I graduated and moved to a boarding school to study the Quran. There were many elementary school students from first through sixth grade there, and I was involved in supporting them, such as comforting them when they cried, staying with them when they couldn’t sleep because they missed their parents or didn’t want to eat, and mediating when they fought. That was my first experience supporting children and learning to manage my emotions while being with them.
However, I got through it all with enthusiasm and a cheerful spirit, even though it was very challenging. Every day I studied to memorize the Quran. But due to certain reasons, I had to move back home. Then, in 2023, I returned to live and study the Quran at a different Islamic boarding school than before. There, I was given the responsibility of managing the finances. This was quite a heavy burden because I had to make do with whatever funds were available to support the 40 people at the boarding school.
In addition, I learned to manage my time by taking turns cooking and doing other activities such as shopping, cleaning the premises, tidying up, and also reporting on my Quran memorization. I only lasted a year. I had to go home because I became seriously ill and was hospitalized in the ICU.
After I recovered, seven months later I applied to Joglo. I felt warmly welcomed and discovered different customs and culture. The teachers embraced the children warmly, greeting them with music. All of that was very intriguing to me, it was something I had never seen before. The teachers encouraged the children to play, rather than ordering them around as I was used to seeing.
I hoped to be accepted, even though I felt insecure because I was only a high school graduate, and I was very surprised when I was allowed to join Joglo – Peace Place Pati. There, I felt at ease, and this was the place I had always imagined a place to practice a culture of peace through daily activities.
Over the past three years, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen that children truly thrive when adults guide them in a gentle, peaceful manner. I’ve also noticed that there’s no labeling—like “naughty child” or “stupid child”, that I used to hear growing up.
Another interesting aspect is the availability of children’s books in diverse languages, with varied illustrations and writing styles, which has sparked my curiosity about how to use books to support children’s development. And I became interested in volunteering at the Joglo Peace Library. I learned how to read aloud, create schedules, assess reading levels, choose age-appropriate fonts, label books, review them, care for them, and classify them according to the themes of the “Building a Peaceful Classroom Culture” curriculum used by Joglo. To develop my skills, I interned as part of the Power of Goodness Facilitator Team, as well as with local and regional AVP teams.
Through this journey, I am truly grateful to everyone who has supported me, making it possible for me to study in the Early Childhood Education Program. There, I have been able to learn about developmental theory and early childhood education, and then apply that knowledge to real-world practice in the field. I also hope to develop more comprehensive mentoring materials. Thank you also to my friends at Joglo for your encouragement and for continuing to inspire me.
Nadif is helping Calista walk on the board. Taken by Nanik
Nadif (center) poses with her Coreself photo alongside Ninok and Mellia during training at Peace Place Pati. Taken by Nanik
Nadif discussed with Ngatini the activities they had carried out following the Joglo children’s field trip, during which they learned how to make processed fish products. Taken by Nanik.