It's "Just" Preschool

 It's just preschool. If you want to see my blood boil, say this to me. I've made teaching our youngest people my life's work, It's not "just" preschool. Preschool is foundational for future educational success.

Research suggests that a strong preschool program leads to improved school readiness, higher graduation rates, and lower incarceration rates.  It is also a financial benefit to lower- and middle-class families because quality private preschool programs can cost as much as college tuition!

Preschool is foundational because it provides their first exposure to the school setting. This sets the tone for all future school successes. It is the perfect opportunity to get children started off on the right foot.  With adults that truly care about the children and nurture them, children develop positive feeling about school in general.

Good preschool programs, additionally, help build a child's self-regulation skills and social-emotional development skills such as taking turns, sharing, cooperation, working together, and problem-solving.

Effective preschool programs foster a child's creativity and curiosity. Open-ended questions like, "Tell me more about....", "Why do you think so?" "What do you think will happen next?" Questions such as these foster a child's imagination and lead to a greater sense of wonder in a child's developing brain.

Lots of people think that preschool is play. You bet it is!! Play is the way a child learns. It is the way that  a child experiences the world and play helps them engage on a deeper level. At a conference I attended awhile ago, our State Commissioner of Education said, "I believe that every child under the age of eight should have a play-based education." He received a standing ovation!

So, do not belittle the value and importance of my chosen career path. I don't put down your chosen career. All jobs are important. When I ask you to support your child, trust me that, after thirty-eight years and two degrees, I know what I'm talking about. All I want is for your child to be safe, happy, and to love learning. That's it!

Early Childhood Education Myths

 Myth 1: "It's Only Babysitting" 

Ugh...  Did you know that ninety percent of a child's brain development occurs between birth and five years of age?  That's right! NINETY PERCENT!  Holy cow!  That means that in every moment a child is awake, it's a learning opportunity,Early childhood learning is divided into five primary domains. Those are: social, emotional, physical, communication, and cognitive, or thinking on their own.  All of these things, along with a child's health and safety, are things that every early childhood educator must keep in mind on a daily basis.  Most all early childhood educators that I know, get into this profession because they absolutely love children!

Myth 2:  "All you do is play all day." 

The great Fred Rogers said, "Play give children a way to practice what they are learning."  Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imaginations, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. Through play, children learn how to interact with the world around them. Children cannot do this through screen time.  Screen time is not true interaction or playing. Play needs to include some form of physicality, whether that is fine motor or gross motor.

Myth 3: "Anyone Can Be a Preschool Teacher"

To teach public school preschool in Kansas, the teacher must have Early Childhood Certification. In my own educational experience, I graduated with a double major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development, with a minor in Music Education. I then went back to school and got a masters degree in Education.  Teachers are constantly taking workshops and classes in order to keep current with educational trends and how best to serve the ever-changing needs of their students and their families.

Myth 4: "Parents Don't Need to Be Involved in Preschool"

Say what?!?  Families are entrusting their child's teacher with the best of them, their children!  Families know those children better than any teacher could ever hope to. It is vitally important to the child's education that their families ARE involved. Teachers and parents need to work in tandem to help each child be successful in school. Right now, with the pandemic, it's hard for parents to be involved. Many schools are keeping parents out in an effort to curb the spread of the virus to the school population. You can still keep parents in the loop though texting, a variety of apps, newsletters, social media, and a good, old-fashioned phone call.

Myth 5: "Surely Preschool Teachers Are Paid Well"

The average annual cost, per child, for child care in the United States is $8,300 a year. In the program where I work, most of that funding is through a grant from the state.  The yearly enrollment fee, per child, for our program is $65...for a year! This goes to offset the cost supplies for learning activities.

The reality is that preschool teachers are amongst the most undervalued professional out there, ranked even lower than janitors. Yet these teachers are tasked with providing learning opportunities for our most valuable natural resource--our children. I'm lucky. I do not work in a private preschool setting, although I have. Because I work in a school district, I am paid like all other teachers, based on education and experience.  Still, teachers fresh out of college, with student loans to pay, can barely make it on a starting teacher's salary. This leads to many truly amazing teachers leaving the profession, even though they love children. It's a sad commentary.

Several years ago, when a parent said to me, "It's only preschool," I'm not sure they expected the "education" they got, but that kiddo never missed another day of school that year!

Thinking Forward

 .....I have a dream.

"The color of their skin."  Why does skin color matter?  Dig deep and ask yourselves that question. If your answer is that people of color are bad, are "thugs," are criminals, I can guarantee you that there are just as many white people that fall into the same category. Our daughter is a social worker in the prison system. She can back up my claim. Everyone makes poor choices at some point in time. It's part of the learning process.  The fact remains that, based on skin color, there is no difference.

"The content of their character."  Do a Google search for people of color that have changed history. Here are just a few: Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander-the first black women to ear an Ph.D in economics and a law degree. Maya Angelou-a poet. Her works have been considered a defense and celebration of black culture.  Arthur Ashe-Tennis player and founder of the Arthur Ashe Foundation. Received the Medal of Freedom, posthumously.  Ruby Bridges-a just six years old, she was the first person of color to attend and all white school, playing alone at recess, but not missing a single day of school. (How would you feel if your child had to play alone just because of the color of their skin?) Kobe Bryant-besides being a great basketball player, he and his wife started a foundation to address homelessness in Los Angeles. Octavius V. Catto-in part responsible for the 15th Amendment which barred voter discrimination based on race. Bessie Coleman-the first back woman aviator, earning her wings in a record seven months! Rudolph Fisher-physician, radiologist, novelist, and musician. Sojourner Truth-an abolitionist who lectured about racial and gender inferiority. The women of "Hidden Figures," the story of the African-American women behind the scenes at NASA. They are Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan.

     On this, the weekend before we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his words have a profound meaning to me, particularly. You see, eight years ago, on January 18th, we were blessed with our first grandchild. I have said all along that this child radiates pure joy!  Friend! This child is going to move mountains and change the world.   In this photo she is just five years old. She is now thirteen. She is in Junior Honor Society, Honors Band, and plays libero on a traveling volleyball team! She is spunky and sassy and an absolute joy to be around. Just to know her is to love her!

     Had it not been for forward-thinking people, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would she be a part of our family? I can't be sure, however I know that our lives are blessed and so much better because of her. I thank God everyday for her mom and dad who went through insurmountable odd to bring her into our family. I wish I could share their heroic story, though it is not my story to tell. We are blessed!

Craziness: Things I Never Thought I'd See or Do

 

Never, in a million years, did I ever dream I would be living though a worldwide pandemic.

I sure never thought I would see American people, out of control, storming the capitol building in Washington, D.C. I thought we were more civilized than the third world countries I seen taken over by coups.  No matter which side of the aisle you're on, the violence and destruction of property is never acceptable. Never! Making a noose, waving weapons in the air, making threats of violence, these I do not condone.  I teach my students about the importance of using your words and not weapons and violence. What about what those children are seeing? Grown Americans acting like fools, going against what those very children are being told is not okay. How do we rationalize that to our young, vulnerable, children. That are watching and listening. You can be darned sure they are taking mental notes.

And speaking of young children; when I began my teaching career back in 1983, I never dreamed that I'd still be at it, and still loving what I do!  

And while were talking about professional experience, there is no way I ever dreamed that organizers of national educational conferences would ever think that what I had to say was important. That being said, I am putting together a presentation to share at my 3rd national conference, and then meet the man who gave a work and meaning to how I thought education should always be. Who knew??

And lastly, who would have thought that I would be a published author? I was a contributing author to "Stories in Edu: Sailing With a Fleet." A my new friend and edu-hero, Jim, (pictured above) would use a quote from my story in his presentation!  

What a Year It Was!

       Here we were, just coasting along, doing the things we normally would do, when, BAM, that stupid Coronavirus stopped us all dead in our tracks!  On Friday, March 13th, we had a meeting after school to discuss what changes we would be making in the coming week, to get us through until Spring Break.  My students were bringing in their leprechaun traps in the hope of catching that sly, little character. 

     By Sunday night, the 15th, we were informed that the buildings would not reopen for the week of the 16th. We had small, socially-distanced meetings to determine how we could best deliver instruction, moving forward. I am blessed to work with three other ROCKSTAR preschool teachers in our district! We came up with our plan and implemented it with very few hiccups. Our families were understanding and did their absolute best to work with their kids. (Honestly, I think we were all in shock.) We finished the year doing remote instruction.

     Late spring and summer provided me with TWO opportunities to go visit my parents on the family farm and stay for a week both times! After all that was the last quarter of the school year, it was an amazing opportunity to relax, reflect, and renew. I was also able to renew a friendship for high school.

     Also, this summer I was honored to be chosen to be a part of "Navigating Change," which is the state's plan for the reopening of schools this past fall. I met, and worked with people I may not have otherwise ever crossed paths with. It was hard work, but also valuable work.

     We were able to start school, later than intended, face-to-face and have remained in this mode of instructional delivery until now, even with the rapidly climbing numbers in our state and county.

     In November, our daughter, Abbey, was able to get married. Because you never know what the weather is going to be like in Kansas, she was able to get married in the courtyard and the reception was inside. There were roughly 45 people in attendance and Abbey and Alex provided custom designed masks for everyone! It was so much fun to have all three of our kids together again

     The week of Christmas, I received a call from Jacque, our oldest, asking if they could come up here for Christmas. They live in San Antonio. They had plans to go visit some of her husband's family in the Phoenix area, but some of the people there were exposed to the coronavirus. Of course I said, "YES!!"  All three kids back together, again. We ate lots of food, played lots of games, enjoyed each other's company, and laughed until our sides hurt.

     What I need to say is that in the midst of a catastrophic world event, such as this pandemic, there were silver linings everywhere I looked. There is still much to be thankful for!

     In 2021, we are looking forward to the marriage of our son, Luke, to his high school sweetheart. Again, so much to be thankful for!

Screen Time in Preschool

      Our district bought all four PreK classrooms iPads on a cart. There are twenty iPads on each cart, plus one for each teacher, equalling a total of eight-four iPads. None of the PreK teachers even expressed an interest in having classroom sets of iPads. I'm sure if you asked the others on the team, there would be something else we would have asked that money to be spent on. I am equally sure that the reason we got the iPads was due to the pandemic.

     Here's the thing, though. A couple of years ago, I heard the Kansas State commissioner of Education speak at a state conference. Here is a direct quote from a Q & A session with him: "I believe that every child under the age of eight, should have a play-based education." Does that include screen time? I can assure you it does not.

     A play-based classroom has the following:

• Play-based preschool classrooms are set up in sections, usually having a kitchen area, a reading area, a sensory table, a block area, an exploration area, and more. Much of the class time is made up of free-choice centers, where children go to one of these areas in the classroom and “play”.
• Teachers may incorporate academic skills through theme-based activities and may add thematic props to classroom learning centers.
• The main goal is to develop SEL skills by teacher modeling. Students cannot learn these skills from interacting with a screen.
• Students’ progress is monitored by their participation in hands-on activities and observational assessments, not by worksheets and drills.
• The teacher acts as a facilitator of learning rather than a lecturer of direct instruction.
• Play-based classrooms are more about the process of learning and are less concerned about the product. Teachers work hard to create an atmosphere of discovery, exploration and appropriate risk-taking. Screen time does not do this for students.
• Academics are taught by weaving literacy and math into all learning areas. 
• Play is the context in which children can most optimally learn, because it is the most efficient way for children to process information.
• Some experts now claim that one of the greatest predictors of life-long success is a child’s ability to control impulses (self-regulation), which is learned in social environments.  As previously mentioned, social environments are made available through play-based preschool programs.
• A worthwhile play-based program will have teachers engaging or adding on to children’s play, not dictating it.
• Rich language and math skills must be carefully thought-out. 

Here are a few of the concerns about screen time, especially with young children, and the list continues to grow:

• What we can hypothesize is that screens could inhibit certain aspects of a child’s development by narrowing their focus of interest and limiting their other means of exploration and learning,” says Dr. Jennifer Cross, attending pediatrician and a developmental and behavioral pediatrics expert at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. “If young children spend most of their time engaging with an iPad, smartphone, or the television, all of which are highly entertaining, it can be hard to get them engaged in non-electronic activities, such as playing with toys to foster imagination and creativity, exploring outdoors, and playing with other children to develop appropriate social skills.
•  Young children learn by exploring their environment and watching the adults in their lives and then imitating them. Excessive screen time may inhibit a child’s ability to observe and experience the typical everyday activities they need to engage with in order to learn about the world, leading to a kind of “tunnel vision,” which can be detrimental to overall development.
• Language development expands rapidly between 1½ to 3 years of age, and studies have shown that children learn language best when engaging and interacting with adults who are talking and playing with them. There is also some evidence that children who watch a lot of television during the early elementary school years perform less well on reading tests and may show deficits in attention.
• The blue light from screens inhibits melatonin, which can delay sleep. And watching TV or playing games also keeps our brains and bodies more alert and activated and less ready for sleep. (Tablets and smartphones will suppress the melatonin more than TVs because the screen, and that blue light, is closer to the face.)
• Keep bedtime, mealtime, and family time screen-free. Don’t use screens in the car except for long trips, and consider setting a curfew or an agreed-upon time when your family shuts off all screens. Balancing online and offline time is extremely important.
• Limit your own phone use. Kids will do what they see their parents doing. At a young age, their parent(s) is the most important person in their life, so they will model whatever behavior they are seeing. If they see that you’re behind a screen all day every day, then they’ll see that it’s acceptable and will want to do the same.     

     In addition, we've had these iPads for two months. TWO MONTHS!! Do we have any PreK-appropriate apps on them? We do not. This is in spite of creating and filling in a spreadsheet with the name of the app and the site to go to in order to load the apps onto our iPads. So, currently, these iPads, on the cart, are basically taking up space and are completely unusable by my students. FOR TWO MONTHS. In my very humble opinion, they are nothing more than an unwanted waste of money and space.

Rejoice

     Meet Rejoice! Our class adopted Rejoice through a program called "Discovery Dairy." This program pairs a classroom with a dairy farm, typically in the same state. They also provide lesson plans and updates.  I am so excited to share this sweet baby with our class tomorrow!

     The meaning of her name is not lost on me. With all of the questions and turmoil this school year has brought to all of us, I am rejoicing that we have been able to maintain face-to-face instruction, so this calf's name is very fitting for this school year and our class. This year is going to be about rejoicing every day that we're able to be together!

     I decided to do this as a part of teaching my class about animals, habitats, where their food comes from, an appreciation for their environment and nature, in general.