On becoming a Professional

Leading preschoolers towards success

Last week, after our final rehearsal for the spring show the children wanted to speak on my real microphone. I happen to have come from my news segment at Fox 59 earlier that morning and so I played news anchor and interviewed the children…. The interview went something like this… Me:      ”Good morning, [...]

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A not so perfect preschool teacher’s valentine poem

As a preschool teacher I am not always perfectly great… I sometimes plan things to do That are not considered age appropriate… And sometimes I spend too much time planning for every minute of the day… Instead of giving my students more time To learn through their play… And sometimes I talk too much When [...]

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Really cute but not so fun in preschool

Last week, I visited a class that was making doves as part of their study of peace and MLK. As I observed this class, it was clear to both the teacher and I that this project was a cute idea on paper but pretty worthless when it came to process… That’s the tricky thing about [...]

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Reflecting on the parents of preschoolers

This is Wy, my nephew, and his mommy. They were over at my house on New Year’s Day and while they read a book together, I stepped back and observed (with camera in hand). The book they were reading was one that Wy’s mommy had bought for him. Each page is illustrated with wonderful textured [...]

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Get informed about early childhood education degree programs

Early Childhood Education Degree Programs: What are Your Options? By Brian Jenkins What types of early childhood education programs are available? Many colleges and universities offer accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the subject. You may also have the option of obtaining a professional certificate at certain schools. Programs are available both on-campus and online. [...]

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Yelling is not an effective teaching practice in preschool

Whether you call it yelling, hollering, or raising your voice – the reality is, yelling, hollering, or raising your voice to get the attention of your students is not an effective teaching practice. Yelling makes you grumpy. Yelling makes you tired. Yelling increases your stress. Yelling makes your students grumpy. Yelling makes your students tired. Yelling increases your student’s stress. [...]

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Hand and footprint art in the preschool classroom

As a parent, there is nothing more precious to me than hanging up a piece of art my child made out of her own hand or footprint. But as a teacher I sometimes observe hand and footprint art activities and simply wonder where the benefit is to the child.  Don’t get me wrong, I think [...]

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Sharing things from home with your preschool classroom

Every teacher brings unique and special gifts to their students and every student will apply these gifts in their own unique and special way. Teachers often have brilliant ideas and things from home they want to share with their students. Over the summer, this class had been talking about seashells and under the see creatures. [...]

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Including sign language in the early childhood classroom

Including Sign Language in Early Childhood Curriculum Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas One of the keys to thriving in the modern economic climate is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate [...]

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If you send a preschool teacher to buy a gallon of milk…

You know you are hooked on preschool when you just can’t think about anything else.

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Building connections to math, art, and more through children’s literature

When I am at a loss as to what to do in my preschool classroom, I always sit down and start thumbing through all my children’s books. As I read through my collection of children’s books, my mind begins to swirl with all the ways each book can be extended throughout my curriculum content. I [...]

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Building connections to math, art, and more through children’s literature

When I am at a loss as to what to do in my preschool classroom, I always sit down and start thumbing through all my children’s books. As I read through my collection of children’s books, my mind begins to swirl with all the ways each book can be extended throughout my curriculum content. I [...]

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Teaching Preschoolers at home

I would like you to invite you to come on over and visit me at Pre-K Pages blog and read the guest article I wrote on teaching preschoolers at home. Included in the article are a few tips on… Creating the Home Environment Establishing Routines Becoming a Self-Education Parent Using Online Resources You can leave [...]

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Free early childhood education webinar series

I hope you will join us for this Webinar Series Sponsored by Robert Leslie Publishing. This series of webinars is meant for all of those interested in learning more about leadership and problem solving in the field of early childhood. The first webinar is titled… Supervising and Supporting Preschool Programs with Two or More Languages [...]

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Preschool Teacher Blunders

If you tell your parents the following… “I have had the worst week ever, my car broke down and I don’t have enough money to get it fixed!” “I am really tired today – stayed out too late partying with the other teachers.”  ”The other teachers don’t really know what they are doing, thank goodness [...]

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Top five professional behaviors preschool teachers should know

Let’s put a positive spin on professional behavior in early childhood education. Why worry about professional behavior? Professionalism brings about respect, trust, and credibility. Your parents, coworkers, and students will all benefit from your ability to carry yourself in a professional manner. Here are the top five professional behaviors to practice in your preschool program. [...]

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