Inside Pre-K Blog

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pThere were some trees for shade,and some sunny areas for warmth. There were wildflowers blooming and a small creek for wading. A picnic table was all set up. Mr. and Mrs. Berry unpacked the picnic lunch,and everyone sat down to enjoy it. “I think we should do this all the time,” said Henry, happily munching on a pickle. Jenny, running off with her kite held high, added,“I agree!”/p
p“Best of all,” said Mr.

Online Surveys & Market ResearchIf you teach preschool, you have most likely heard this before: "My Mom told me, if somebody hits you, hit them back." As
a teacher, my first response is, "We are at school and we have to
follow school rules." This will work most of the time, but this has not
helped the student who did the hitting learn not to hit. So we
conference and usually work it out, at least for that day.

Sometimes, within the walls of my school, it is easy to forget
about the stress and chaos in which some of my students live.  In our
classroom, everybody knows our routines and procedures, functions with
(relative) independence, interacts peacefully, and has access to the
same experiences. At home, however, many of my students face extremely
challenging circumstances; they witness abuse, sleep on the floor, move
between homes and shelters, and are cold in the winter.

Last May, the District of Columbia City Council unanimously passed the Pre-K Enhancment and Expansion Act of 2008, which laid the foundation for a voluntary, high-quality pre-k program that would make pre-k available to every child in the District.  The legislation included provisions for professional development, quality improvement, and diverse delivery systems (pre-k would be enhanced in community, public school, and public charter school settings), and it was designed for both three- and four-year-old children.  If fully implemented, this legislation would put DC at the forefront of educ

I just finished reading an article from the latest edition of American Educator, a journal primarily focused on educational research and ideas.  I was pleased to see an article devoted to prekindergarten.  Tanya S. Wright and Susan B.

"I want to make a flower, but I don't know how." Suniah lamented during morning choice time. "Liliana, can you help me?"

"Uh huh." Liliana replied with a smile.

"Here, use the pink marker." Suniah offered. Liliana reached over to Suniah's paper and started drawing a flower with the pink marker. As she was working, Aaliyah came over and sat across from Suniah. She observed quietly as Liliana continued drawing and Suniah watched with rapt attention. When Liliana finished, Suniah proudly presented her paper to me.

I am on spring break this week and have had the wonderful opportunity to relax a bit and take some time to reflect on my classroom.  I've been reviewing student achievement data, evaluating their progress toward  goals, and making plans for the remainder of the school year.  As part of this process, I have also spent some time looking over my students' portfolios.  Each child's portfolio is divided into four domains (social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language) and contains artifacts (work samples, pictures, and notes) that demonstrate their development in that domain.  I use the

Online Surveys & Market Research
I have been having a debate with myself recently. I have been
thinking about the role and importance of time out in my classroom
management. I have been asking myself some tough questions. Do
I ask too much of my students by expecting them to keep their hands to
themselves at four years old?

Parent teacher conferences are not always something parents or teachers look forward to.  I have an advantage: I see parents every day when they drop off or pick up their child.  This allows me to get to know each family and check in when a child might be struggling with something or to let them know a funny anecdote from the day.  

During center time, Jose was in the library reading The Three Bears by Byron Barton quietly to himself. He was totally engrossed in the book when Julia came over and asked, “Can I read with you?” “When I’m done,” Jose replied, implying that he did not want to read with Julia at that moment, but that she could have the book when he was finished. Julia stepped back and her eyes started to well up with tears. Just as she was about to start crying, I approached her and said, “Julia, I can tell that you’re upset that you can’t read The Three Bears right now.