Hamilton Learning Center – Room 108
Observation Date: September 19, 2014
Teachers
Bev Jones, AA-ECE; hired 1993
Cassie Sokolow, BA-ECE; hired 2014 (pictured above)
Going into Classroom 108 at Hamilton Learning Center was a great place
to start my weekly classroom experience. Miss Bev and Miss Cassie, like all
teaching teams this year, are newly paired. You would not know it to see them
working side by side.
I walked in on the last day of the first full week of school. I waited
until mid-morning so as not to be a major disruption and arrived just in time
for free play. Free play may sound like it would be a free-for-all, but nothing
could be farther from the truth. The classroom is staged for play, which is how
three-year-olds explore and learn. The activity centers are clearly defined by
what is in them and with use of signs and labels.
What I Learned from Miss Bev
Miss Bev makes story time both fun and educational. She read “Laura’s Star” by Klaus Baumgart. In the story a little girl rescues a star when it falls to earth and brings it home to mend its broken point. Through the course of the story Miss Bev stopped at unfamiliar words and made them understandable. She asked the children questions and then peppered their comments into her storytelling to make the children’s ideas part of the story. She also used foreshadowing in a way that would make any high school composition teacher proud. More specifically, she asked questions about when stars shine the brightest which turned out to be very integral to how the story ends. The children were calling out what happened because Miss Bev very deftly led them to a high level of understanding through the whole exchange.
What I learned from Miss Cassie
I had a few minutes with Miss Cassie while she was getting lunch ready, so I asked about serving family style. She said that they have a large number of three year olds in the class. Plus many of the children are new to eating as a group. She explained that family style is a good transition approach. The children will be given increasing opportunities to pour their own drinks and make up plates for themselves.
Memorable Moments
I was truly looking forward to the time with children. This,
thankfully, is how I spent most of the time. I hopped like a bunny as Mr. Adam,
another teacher, showed us during Fit Friday in the gym. A gymnasium of hopping
children is a smile-maker. While walking outside hand-in-hand with a four-year
old she pointed out all the colors in a cloud. (Take a good look sometime.
There are all sorts of colors that make up a cloud.) I was also nicely told I
smelled, but that is a story in itself. Suffice it to say, it was not me. I did
offer to move, but was told I was okay to stay since I was a friend.
Preschoolers obviously make allowances for their friends. There is a life
lesson right there.
Linking it Together
When I was in my 20s, the first job I had that allowed me to support myself was with a bank. Years before I got hired there was a merger. From the day I started I was encouraged to “pick a camp.” A large group of employees from the bank that had been taken over were determined to retain their own culture and identity.
At LCCAA, we
are building a new culture that retains all the good from experienced employees
blended with the fresh ideas and perspectives being brought by our new hires.
The hiring of 18 new teachers could result in camps if inclusiveness is not
built in to how we operate and interact. This is why most of our directly
operated classrooms have a new hire paired with a returning teacher. We have an
opportunity to jointly define what we expect from each other and where we set
the bar for the future.
Truthfully, I was directed to Room 108 because of how well the class is functioning. It is functioning that well because Miss Bev and Miss Cassie work together as a unit. Each has her strengths. Each appears more than willing to learn from the other. I thank both of them for welcoming me into their classroom. (I know it had to be unnerving.) They graciously made the day enlightening and enjoyable for me just like they consistently do for our Head Start children.