Elbow, knees, dreams

Why I teach preschool (instead of kindergarten)

Splatypus’s comment about my last post got me thinking about the days when I taught kindergarten in one high-poverty school after another. Kindergarten can be high-stress for a teacher. And not just because her students are living in poverty and Read More...

Who needs preschool?

Does your child need to go to preschool before kindergarten? Does every child need to go? What do kids need to learn before kindergarten, anyway? I think preschool is great, but it isn’t necessary for everyone. If you are raising your child at home, Read More...

On not being safe

How’s this for a headline? “Teacher tries to help preschoolers stay alive.” I nearly spit out my coffee this morning when I saw that one. Preschool teacher Marisol Sierra, who teaches in the Chicago neighborhood where schoolkids are Read More...

Early entrance to kindergarten

Today we had a visitor. It’s a common occurrence in my classroom, only today, our visitor was four years old. We’ll call him Charley. Charley’s dad brought him to school so that I could watch him play in my room for an hour, and evaluate Read More...