Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE)

When Brock’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) students graduate on June 12, Herbert Vigil will be the only male crossing the stage.

“Everyone’s very supportive,” said Vigil of his experience as one of the few men in the BECE program.

“I’m not one to care as much. I’m in this field because I want to help the kids. I just want to be a kindergarten teacher.”

Vigil had started a business program before realizing that he wanted to work with children. He was inspired by his mother who ran a home-based daycare in his hometown of Kitchener.

“Just to see them develop at that young age is wonderful for me,” said Vigil of his decision to work with young children. “To see them growing up into someone they’re going to be.”

Before coming to Brock, Vigil completed a diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE) at Conestoga College. Enrolling in Brock’s BECE program gave him the opportunity to degree in two years. With his BECE degree, he plans to apply to teacher education programs in the future to reach his goal of teaching kindergarten.

Vigil has enjoyed his Brock experience, particularly the tight-knit community in the BECE program.

To cap off his time in the program, Vigil researched superhero play and it’s benefits on social skills and self-regulation in children. This type of play allows children to step into the roles of familiar fantasy characters and explore the rules of those characters and worlds, explains Vigil, who is a fan of superheroes. Educators can direct this type of play to explore different topics, such as morals.

Working with children, Vigil noticed that superhero play promotes expression and self-regulation, which sparked his interest in the topic.

Vigil works in a group home and as an early childhood educator for a school board. He uses his ECE training to develop activities based on children’s interests in a way that allows them to accomplish goals and learn new things.

After graduation, Vigil will take some time off and continue working before applying to teacher education programs.