Each child comes into the classroom with his/her own interests, strengths, personality, and life experiences. It is our role as teachers to get to know each child individually and help them learn and practice the skills needed to be ready for kindergarten. These skills are best retained by children when they learn them through play and real life experiences.

The first thing a child needs before he/she is able to learn, is a safe environment. Keeping the classroom safe is a job that belongs to everyone in the classroom. When a safe and welcoming environment is created in the classroom, children are eager to try more difficult tasks, ask for and/or provide help, encourage others, and learn! 



My interest in early childhood education was sparked after a training in which I learned that social and emotional skills are skills that need to be taught to children, similar to teaching children how to walk, identify letters, and count. These skills, such as taking turns, resolving conflicts during play, identifying our own emotions, and being able to calm ourselves, are very important in school and in life situations.