Dear Miss Beth
Dear Miss Beth,
I am a "brand new" preschool teacher and I feel like I have no idea what to do!
Other teachers are telling me how to decorate my room, how to arrange my schedule, and even how to watch out for so and so's sibling because apparently the whole family is "weird."
While I appreciate the advice, I'm not sure I should follow it, especially the part about the "weird" family.
Help!
Sincerely,
Misty Fied.
Dear Miss Misty,
I am honored that you chose to ask me for my advice. The first thing I must say is....Don't Panic.
I can say this because I come from a long ancestral line of "panickers" so I know your pain.
This might come as a surprise to you, if you're not a regular reader of my blog, but most of my advice is based on children's books and today's advice is no exception.
The first thing to do is go to the library and check out the following books:
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by author/illustrator Nancy Carlson and What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School, written by Toby Forward and illustrated by Carol Thompson.
In Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! it is Henry's first day of school and he is very excited! Having children come to your classroom on the first day, and every day for that matter, excited about learning is one of the many joys you will experience this year.
As you look through the book, notice that the children are not sitting in straight rows at desks looking at worksheets and probably thinking "when will this extremely inappropriate activity end?" (Smart kids)
Instead you will see blocks, art materials, teachers reading stories, children playing games, and singing with the teacher.
You will also notice that the walls are not totally covered with "cute stuff" that children don't really even notice. Go easy on the "cute."
Let the children decorate the room during the first week. It will make them feel proud and feel like they are a member of a community as well as let you find out information about each child. This might include critical background information that can only help understand where the child is "coming from" as well as help you build a relationship with the child.
FYI...In the book, children are painting at the easel. While admirable, this is not ideally a first day activity. Crayons and markers and big sheets of paper will suffice!
The second book, What Did You Do Today? follows a little boy and his mother for a day. It is the first day of school for the boy and as the day progresses it shows what the little boy is doing at school and what his mom is doing at her job.
Once again, the school scenes are right on target. First he meets new friends, then has cookies and milk, then does some dancing, sits down and draws a picture ( he says he's writing), has lunch and rest time, helps clean up the classroom from a very busy and messy day, listens to a story and then prepares to go home.
All in all, a perfect preschool day!
I hope you find this advice helpful and I wish you all the best for the most exciting year of your life!
Sincerely,
Miss Beth
P.S. I'm glad you are choosing not to listen to the others about the "weird" family. Every child deserves a fresh start.
That's it for now.
Check back later!
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