Doc. PhDr. Valentína Trubíniová, CSc. An Outstanding Slovak Pedagogue

Doc. PhDr. Valentína Trubíniová, CSc. is an outstanding personality – the founder of the field of pre-school pedagogy at three Slovak universities. In January, she celebrated her life anniversary – her 80th birthday. She was born on January 6, 1937 in Nová Lehota (a picturesque village near Piešťany). She finished her secondary school studies in 1955 at Pedagogical School for Training Kindergarten Teachers in Modra, where her interest in the issues of pre-school pedagogy, kindergartens and, above all, children has arisen. Then, she graduated from the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava, in the field of Pedagogy with specialization on Pre-School Education (1981). Later, in 1997, she earned a PhD. degree, and in 2003, habilitated in Pedagogy at the Faculty of Education of Comenius University in Bratislava. In Bratislava, during her professional life, she has tried every job position – from working as a teacher, the director of several kindergartens (Pavlovova, Plátenícka, Teplická), a school inspector in district Bratislava III, a state school inspector at the Ministry of Education, to being a specialist at the Central Institute for Teacher Training (Ústredný ústav pre vzdelávanie učiteľov), where she could make use of all her knowledge and share it with her colleagues as a part of their further education. As a university teacher at Comenius University in Bratislava, using her conception, she participated in the creation of the field of study Kindergarten Teacher Training, later PreSchool Pedagogy and implemented them at universities in Trnava and Ružomberok as well. Her conception is, to a certain extent, being used at all Slovak faculties of education even nowadays.