Pre-school Miss. Portillo and Miss. Ellis January 2007.

Teachers… "Awaken people's curiosity. It is enough to open minds, do not overload them. Put there just a spark." - Anatole France

Preschool Teachers Preschool teachers are some of the best people in the world! Yours is not just a job of playing with little children and teaching the ABC’s … You are Positive- Not everyone thinks about the world like you do. You look on the sunny side of life and think of things in positive terms. You help you children to think positively about what they can do. You encourage them in their attempts and teach them to encourage their classmates. You are Empathic- You can see another’s problems and feelings from there point of view. In the classroom you can understand your children and be compassionate when they are down and celebrate with them when they are excited. You are Flexible- You are open to change and can go with the flow when the day takes a different turn. You can modify a plan in the moment to better suit the children while keeping the objectives and educational value of the activity.

Preschool Teachers You are a Role Model- You are the living example of what you want your children to be, they look up to you and want to be just like you. You are calm - You have the amazing ability to remain calm through a hectic preschool day, you understand that your students aggression, bad moods, and bad behaviors have a root cause. You know their home life and are good at helping them to de-stress in a positive way. You are always calm and in control of yourself, the students, and the situation. You are Respectful – You understand that no one is more important than anyone else. You treat your peers and students with respect and they in turn respect you. You are Always Learning- Although you are knowledgeable you know that we never stop learning. You enjoy learning new things from your fellow teachers and your students.

Preschool Teacher You are Creative- You think of new ways of doing things or adapt ideas and activities to best suit an individual or your particular group of students. You have a sense of humor- You know how to laugh and make your students laugh. You never are sarcastic or make fun of them but you know how to be silly and enjoy their humor. You are Always Observing – You know your children and document the learning that goes on in your classroom when you see it. You look for “teaching moments”

Know each family and child before the year starts Have the classroom set up: the child’s name in visible places (cubbies, circle time area etc.) before the first day of school. Classroom decorated, children will be drawn to a classroom that makes them feel safe, loved, and welcomed. Materials well organized and displayed so that children do not need much instruction in order to use them independently. Classroom objects are labeled. Before the First Day of school

Setting up your Routine Have movable schedule posted and represented pictorially so that students can know what will happen in the day. *you could use photographs of children doing things through out the day Explain the use of materials every day in circle time- you don’t have to explain all of them choose a few key points and reinforce them daily. Tell children aprox. 5 mins before a transition. Have children take out folders, homework as soon as they enter and put it in a pre-designated space. Remember to remind the forgetful ones. Collect lunch money every morning. Work with children on social emotional skills in group time (role playing, puppets, problem solving, character education books etc.) Before leaving have materials ready for the next day.

Discipline The word Discipline comes from: Latin disciplina (“instruction”) and discipulus (“pupil”) from discere (“to learn”) It’s a process of learning!disciplinadiscipulusdiscere In the beginning have children help come up with rules, write them down, for them to visualize and then restate them in a positve way and reduce them to around 3 simple rules. (ex: Be safe, Respect people, Take care with Materials) Find a way to have a permanent visual reminder of the classroom rules. Practice conflict resolution often

The Learning Pyramid Positive relationships with children, families, and colleagues Classroom preventive practices Social and emotional teaching strategies Intensive individualized interventions