After over 20 years of teaching preschool, I thought I had seen everything. Then last March happened and schools were shut down and life all but stopped. Things that we once thought were so important were suddenly replaced by the things that were really important. Teachers had to become online teachers almost over night and parents had to dust off their math and English skills to help their students at home. As I think back on those last few months of the school year, I realize most of us were just on survival mode. I consider myself one of the lucky ones with just two junior highers to deal with. My 9th grader limped along, just barely getting enough to pass while my 7th grader dashed to the finish line finishing with time to spare. I think that during those 2 1/2 months I vacillated between those two extremes, some days barely making it through the day, while other days getting so much done.
I think the hardest thing for me, was not getting closure and the chance to say goodbye to my preschoolers. I had so much more I wanted to do with them, so much more to learn from them. Instead I ended the year saying goodbye on a computer screen. (I was lucky enough to see a few of them in person one last time the end of May). It was hard and not what I had planned. But once again, the most important things came through. I hope that through all the craziness and stress, parents took the opportunity to reconnect with the children in a way that is not possible in the hustle and bustle of normal life. I told my preschool parents to just enjoy their preschoolers and don’t worry about the academics. That will come, but the chance to sit back and observe a preschooler is truly a priceless gift. One that I am lucky enough to do each year.
Now we are getting ready to start a new school year and boy have things changed! We are talking about masks and social distancing and how to go back to school while protecting the health of teachers and students alike. There is no perfect way, but there is an okay way and with it, the chance to practice that all too important life skill of flexibility. Preschool this year will be different, but not in all the important ways. We will wash our hands more often, some toys will have to be put away, circle time will definitely look different. But the important things like friendships, imagination and play will still continue.
For the last few years I have been moving away from teacher directed learning to student lead learning. And during a pandemic is the perfect time to make the final transition. My job as a teacher is not to dictate what the students should be learning. Young children are already eager to learn, and they also know what they are ready to learn. My job as a teacher is to follow the student’s cue on what they are ready to learn and provide tools and space that allow them to learn. This is hard to do when I have a set theme for the week, along with crafts and activities that all have to relate to it. That kind of teaching is also very hard to do during a pandemic because it often requires direct group instruction. But if I set up a classroom that allows the freedom for the students to choose what they do with the environment, then they will learn what they are ready to learn. And it is easier to do during a pandemic because, for the most part, it doesn’t require students to all be doing the same things at the same times. The students can be spread out through out the classroom. Another benefit of teaching during a pandemic is the chance to develop an outside classroom, which I have been wanting to do for awhile but finding excuses to postpone doing it.
So actually, I am very excited to start the new year and face all the challenges it will bring, because I will be doing what I love!
Miss Lori's Preschool 