Personal Statement: My Expectations For Kindergarten

The article by Erika Christakis, informs future teachers and parents how preschool today may not be benefiting their children as much as they thought. She talks about how preschool has changed drastically over the years as well as kindergarten. She states that “kindergarten may be the new first grade”. Her statement shows how children today are expected more then they were years ago in all grades, especially preschool and at such a young age. Many think this is helping our children or will benefit them in the future if they know more as a child but this may not be the case. The article talks about multiple studies done throughout America to children are learning and how school curriculum changing affects children. A studied showed that children

Preschool teachers have not been given the credit they deserve, with lots of people over looking their importance. Being a preschool teacher is more than just watching a couple of kids for a couple of hours. This field requires a lot preparation and behind the scene work that put into the job, so it really is not as easy as it may seem. Preschool could possibly shape the rest of their academic lives. At this level of school the children learn their basic building blocks for learning that they will use forever. That leaves parents with big expectations for the teacher. And for the teacher, they will have to set goals, have a plan to reach those goals, and for the most part

Personal, social and emotional developments (PSED) are acknowledged as one of the starting point of accomplishment in life. PSED is about the whole child, how they are developing now, what they can do to reach their goals but also contribute to their community and how children perceive their identity and ability, understand their relation to the others in the society and apprehend their own and others’ feelings. PSED are a part of children’s development where they will be able to communicate effectively and be able to develop positive behavior among themselves and to others. According to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), PSED is consists of three aspects which are self-confidence and self-awareness, managing feelings and behavior

During my observation at the preschool here at Harper, I looked around and realized a lot of similarities and differences it has; compared to other daycare and preschool centers. The age of children in the room I observed was ages 3-5 with one lead teacher, and depending on the ratio of how many kids showed up on that day, about three or four helping teachers. The program was set up to a very open, happy and overwhelming setting. Every furniture and object in the room had a sign saying what it was, and then underneath the typed out word was the children’s way of writing what the object was. For example, a book shelf was in the corner of the room; on the book shelf was the word printed out “Book

At Children’s Discovery Center the daycare is split into two buildings, one building is for the children in pre-school and the second building is for infants to three year olds getting ready to start pre- school. The classroom I observe is for children 18 months to 28 months. They are about fourteen children in the class with two teachers. The way the class is set up the younger students and their two teachers share one classroom, but the teachers and their toddlers are not in the same room until lunch time and nap time. The classroom has a kitchen, reading area, girls and boys bathroom, activity tables and there is a connecting room for the children to have bible time and free play. The discovery center has three separate playgrounds for the

     Preschool teachers usually instruct children usually until they reach the age of five. They conduct activities designed to develop social, physical, and intellectual skills needed for primary school. During an interview I was told many things on the subject. “You need a lot of patience” said Esther Rodriguez a preschool teacher. There

Oftentimes, children who are not introduced to the guidelines and principles of their kindergarten classroom spend much of their first year trying to catch up to their peers. By implementing a universal preschool, early childhood educators are able to apply kindergarten policies to their classroom procedures in an effort to prepare students for the transition. For instance, when the educators from various grades are able to communicate with one another, health records, learning disabilities and classroom procedures are discussed and teachers are able to employ solutions before the school year starts. As many as half of all children entering kindergarten display difficulties in the transition. Moreover, teachers expect children to have certain skills sets upon entering the classroom that they may not possess. Finally, kindergarten teachers identified weaknesses in academic and social kills, including the inability to follow directions, working independently or perform adequately in a formal school setting (Stormont, 213). By introducing children to these basic skill sets in preschool, they are able to transition smoothly to kindergarten and succeed among their

Teaching early childhood children is not a job that should be taken lightly. At this age, you are building the foundation of learning and setting the precedence of what they see school as. It is my role as an educator to take responsibility for every child’s educational development. Each day in an early childhood classroom is full of challenges, but it is also full of laughs, smiles, and enthusiasm to learn. I firmly believe that every child is capable of learning, however, every child learns in their own pace and in their own way. Children need to feel that their teacher cares for them and is enthusiastic about their learning. This will help motivate them and maximize their learning. From there, the sky is the limit in the classroom! As an educator, I need to be conscious of learning and social development in order to reach every child and make sure they succeed. It is my job to see that every student is growing both academically and socially.

Sanchez, Claudio. “Pre-K: Decades Worth Of Studies, One Strong Message.” NPR, NPR, 3 May 2017, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/05/03/524907739/pre-k-decades-worth-of-studies-one-strong-message. Accessed 21 Sept.

In the meantime, parents may take the stress that the present pattern to focus on pre-literacy & pre-math skills in nursery school cuts into essential play time and pushes a kid to develop up too quickly. Sometimes, it is confusing for parents to take decision for unlike advice.

For many of us, our first day of kindergarten wasn't something we wanted to experience. Like most, everyone thought one of their parents would stay with them the whole day. But as soon as they would turn around and see their mom or dad walking to the door to go to work. My first day was just like that with my mom, I was told where to sit and I turn around and see and my mom is walking out the door. Like most kids this is one of the first places they find their friends and best friends. Meeting new people was also another scary thing in kindergarten. Once we start playing outside and playing wall ball or basketball with everyone can be an easy way to make lots of friends. After recess was some of our favorite time since we got to come in and take a thirty minute nap. For me during nap time I would have to go to a speech therapy class and work on saying my R's .

In my personal experience in teaching Private Pre-K in Georgia, there were several teachers who did not have nor use the four kinds of knowledge teachers need to succeed with their students per Parkay. Many people think Pre-K is all about coloring and playing but there truly is more to it then some may know. I would build a curriculum for each one of my students based on their personal individual needs and not clump every child into the same category. I always went above and beyond for everyone of my students because I took advantage of all the resources out there to extend my knowledge in certain subjects and etc. I do believe Parkay has some very valuable points to the four kinds of knowledge. As I stated earlier I worked with so many Pre-K

My first day of kindergarten was not a happy day for me. I was scared and wanted to go home. The environment was unfamiliar to me. Entering into kindergarten at the age of four is a normative event. I recall my mother giving me a kiss on the cheek, smiling at me and told me everything would be okay and then walked away. I did not cry; I just watched her walk away. What stood out the most for me, is that none of the children or teachers looked like me. I was the only African American in my kindergarten class. I had enough sense to know that something was different.

It has been well established that early childhood is a crucial time for children’s cognitive development (Bowman, Donovan & Burns, 2001). Preschool curriculum is the entire span of lessons and teachings that a child will be taught during the course of a preschool year (Rock, 2015). Preschool curriculum covers a wide variety of academic, social, physical, and emotional lessons and usually vary from school to school and teaching method to teaching method. Depending upon the school and the preschool philosophy employed by the preschool, the preschool curriculum can be developed by administrators, teachers, and parents.

learning to cooperate with others are important qualities. They are able to be in a safe environment rich in learning and play experiences, supervised by an adult. A preschool gives children endless opportunities to practice speaking. Teachers involve them in storytelling, creative dramatics, and other experiences that will teach them new words and offer a chance to communicate with eachother. Preschools are spacious enough to allow a lot of movement and play indoors and out. The teacher encourages children to be more independent of adults by providing them with choices. They are able to choose what they will do and for how long. They are responsible for materials and their own behavior within the limits of the teacher. Children learn social, interaction, and manners in