Many years ago, when my daughters were young, I was the director and lead teacher at the East Andover Village Preschool (EAVP), then a small, half-day program for three- and four-year-olds. I spent many hours up on the hill, singing and laughing and making the hurt go away from scraped knees or bruised feelings, with a hug or a smile or holding a hand.
When my youngest child went to first grade, it was time for me to work full time, and I said goodbye to EAVP, though a part of it has remained in my heart all these years.
I was delighted and surprised when I was given the opportunity to leave my early intervention career and return to the classroom this year. It immediately brought back vivid memories of the 14 years I had spent teaching preschool. I asked myself the question … was it time to return? Is this what I wanted?
Well, the short answer is, absolutely. Why? Because I love preschool, and teaching is my passion. I love watching and helping children to grow, discover, create, and learn.
Their enthusiasm for learning and their sense of wonder amaze me. Preschoolers will make you think; they will challenge you, they will surprise you, and they will make you laugh. A lot.
The longer answer is, research tells us that the early years of a child’s life are fundamentally important. Children cultivate 85 percent of their intellect, personality, and skills by age five. These formative years are the foundation that shapes a child’s future health, happiness, growth, and development.
The 100 billion neurons that humans are born with make connections through synapses, “wiring” the brain for action. The experiences a child has impacts the types and number of synaptic connections that are made. Synaptic connections begin prior to birth and are created at a rapid rate through age three.
The brain operates on a “use it or lose it” principle. Only those connections and pathways that are activated frequently are retained. Other connections that are not consistently used will be pruned or discarded so the active connections can become stronger.
The preschool years are the time in which the brain begins to maximize efficiency by determining which connections to keep and which to eliminate. It is an amazing gift and responsibility to take part in orchestrating learning experiences for preschoolers! This is very important stuff we are doing! (It may look like all fun and games, as it should, but really … it’s very important!)
Lawre Goodnow, EAVP Assistant Director, and I worked together years ago. It was she who introduced me to this classroom philosophy that we, along with EAVP teacher Alicia Williams, now share:
It is our wish for all families to understand that for children, our classroom will be a place where they are:
- Respected as individuals
- Free to discover and make choices
- Encouraged to have a voice and to use words
- Given opportunities to move
- Given opportunities to learn self-control and self-help skills
- Given play and learning experiences that meet their needs
- Provided with materials for creativity
- Encouraged to imagine wonderful things
- Wished joy, adventure, and friendship
It is my goal that children will leave East Andover Village Preschool and go on to kindergarten and a bigger world with confidence and skills that have grown from a sense of trust and security; that while they are attending preschool, they feel safe, nurtured, and loved for who they are.
I hope they will be risk-takers, having learned that it is through our failures that we find success. I hope they will ask questions about everything, knowing that if we don’t ask the questions, we can’t find the answers.
Lastly, I hope that they always feel a sense of belonging in our little school on the hill. Our door is always open. We look forward to a great year of learning, loving, and laughing together!
Opening day is Monday, August 24. We still have openings for the 2015-2016 school year. Please contact us at 735-5105 or at EAVP@nulltds.net.