Wow, yesterday’s post certainly touched a nerve.  That was the most hits I ever got on my blog, and the most comments.  So thank you, everyone, for being part of the conversation. So the question is, how do preschool teachers strike a balance between helping their disadvantaged students get a great education and a leg up, and remaining true to ...

In the last week of school, we went on a wonderful field trip.  The mother of a former student contacted me a few months ago to ask if I’d be interested in bringing my class to the children’s theater where she works.  They were doing outreach for urban preschoolers, and were offering free tickets and a free bus.  Of course I said yes! The day ...

We had a “Code Red” practice the other day.  The Prince let me know about it in advance, so I was able to prepare the children. “Remember when we had a fire drill?” “Yeah!  That was loud!” “Was there really a fire in our school?” “No!” “Right, we were just practicing in case there ever is a fire in our school.  And you know what?  The whole ...

Today was for me — and for many, many other teachers — the first day back after winter break.  Other than feeling the pain of jet lag when the alarm went off early this morning, the day went really well. Cherry and Chutney — alone of the whole class — threw their arms around me when they got to school.  Everyone else was more subdued, with shy ...

Here’s an interesting article about the barriers to getting Latino children into preschool. I work at a school with a significant Latino population, but in the beginning, when my program was added, I attracted mostly native-English speakers.  Slowly, parents at the school with younger children learned about my classroom, and each year I ...

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 have all the problems that go with poverty.  Kindergarten can be high-stress because ...

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, and you’re reading to her, talking to her, playing with her, taking [...]