Future Focused

I divided my time this week between centers. On Tuesday, I was one of about 14 Rotarians reading in the classrooms of our Hamilton Center. I was in Room 101 with Miss Horton and Miss Logan.

Jackie reading to children at the Hamilton Head Start Center 

The Elyria Rotary Club also provided books to every child at Hamilton. Special thanks to the Rotary Literacy Committee, Cheryl Steris and Kathy Runser. We look forward to your next visit in January.

Classroom 11

Hopkins-Locke
Miss Terri, AA-ECE; hired 1994

Miss Zenaida, BA-ECE; hired 2014

Miss Nilsa, Family Service Worker; hired 2013

 

My other classroom visit was to Room 11 at Hopkins-Locke. Room 11 is our English as a Second Language room. Both teachers speak English and Spanish. The teachers organized a social with parents celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. According to hispanicheritagemonth.org, the special recognition dates back to 1968 and begins each year on September 15 which is the independence day of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Within the 30 day celebration, Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence days.

One of the many things that I admire about Head Start is how it seeks to embrace all children and families. As a Head Start grantee, we are encouraged and supported in providing community responsive services. Our Spanish-speaking classroom is an excellent example of how we do this. Our outcomes show that the children progress better and are better prepared for an all English-speaking Kindergarten classroom through this approach. Families that could struggle based on language barriers instead have teachers very sensitive to their issues and concerns.

Room 11 has both morning and afternoon children. I attended the morning session. Every child had a family member or special person with them. Lunch was a Hispanic potluck. There were rice and beans, tamales, chicken in fried tortillas, and a secret-recipe dipping sauce. (The amazing sauce needs a talking dog like the baked bean company either to get the dog to spill or sell the sauce to the masses.) There were also craft stations and the children and their siblings were actively engaged in play. The amount of work both teachers put into making the day special was clear to see. It was a celebration in every sense of the word.

Both teachers and the classroom’s Family Service Worker were very busy interacting with parents. Miss Terri is a gracious hostess. She was thrilled to have parents and families in the room. She spent her time making sure everyone, myself included, felt welcome and special. Miss Zenaida shared with me that the classroom does at least one parent involvement activity per month.

Memorable Moment

I was talking with a parent and she smiled and nodded, smiled and nodded. You already figured out what I should have figured out before I started the conversation. She speaks very little English. With her English like my Spanish, we both smiled and nodded quite a bit. Thankfully, not everything has to be put in words.

What I Learned from Miss Terri

While talking to Terri she pointed around the room and talked about she wants the parents with younger children to choose Head Start for those children, too. She is already in recruiting mode for 2015, 2016 and beyond. She is recruiting the best way possible, she is engaging parents and working hard to give families all that Head Start provides in the here and now.

What I Learned from Miss Zenaida

With all that was going on in the classroom, I did not get enough moments with Miss Zenaida. In speaking with her, I will say that I look forward to speaking with her some more and getting to know her better. I know I am glad she chose LCCAA as where she wants to work.

Linking It Together

Actions really can speak louder than words. I hear employees talking about how committed they are to their jobs. Based on what I am seeing, I believe what I am hearing. When I walk into a room full of parents and children and see two teachers who were instrumental in making that happen, I cannot miss the message that they truly care. That they share my thoughts about how what we do today has everything to do with what our services are like in the future is incredibly rewarding. In organizations that are together and getting it done, leadership comes from everywhere and everyone.

When you combine all the good that is Head Start with employees committed to its success, you get what I am grateful to call today’s LCCAA’s Head Start program. My schedule does not permit me to be in the classroom next Friday. Stay tuned, though. I go back into the classroom on Halloween. I imagine my memorable moment is going to be quite fun.