A Great Place to Begin!

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.

 

The structured approach did not stop there. In a clear execution of a daily lesson plan, we went to the gym for Fit Fridays, took a short walk, played on the slides and climber in the outdoor play space, enjoyed a book expertly read by Miss Bev and talked as a group about the color red and the number three. While Miss Bev was reading, lunch was delivered. Miss Cassie set the tables up family style. When I left the children were eating turkey and tomato pinwheel sandwiches, broccoli florets with hummus dip and fruit. All foods Miss Bev assured them were tasty and guaranteed to help them grow into strong boys and girls. There were far fewer grumblings about not liking broccoli and hummus than you would expect. The teachers were enthusiastic, so the children were, too.

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.

LCCAA's Teachers Not Shy About What Makes a Good Classroom

On Thursday, August 21, I was fortunate to spend a good portion of the afternoon with our Head Start program’s newly-hired teachers. Over the summer 13 bachelor and master degreed teachers signed on to work in our directly-operated classrooms. At least four more will be hired in the month ahead. One question I posed to our new teachers was, “what makes for a good classroom?” Even as they were agreeing with each others’ answers, they kept adding to the list. Here is an overview of some of what they shared with me.

Good classrooms have an organized teacher who intentionally organizes all aspects of the classroom.

The consensus here was great. When I asked for examples, I heard everything from how books and manipulatives are arranged to how forms are stored for quick retrieval. All agreed that you may not be able to spot every instance of organization in every classroom, but a disorganized room is quickly evident through clutter and lack of general order.   

Good classrooms have goals.

While this one made perfect sense to me, I questioned how goals would show themselves in a classroom. They all agreed that talking to the teacher will reveal the numerous goals that teachers work toward every day. They talked of assessment results and children’s progress reports. Since we have already invested in research-based assessment tools, I have no doubt these teachers will document specific goals for every child in their room not long after school starts on September 11.

Good classrooms are “drenched in literacy.”

How is that for an evocative description? Literacy goes so far beyond the use of books, labels, posters and signage. The teachers talked about how every learning center in a room can be enhanced to give context to words, phrases and symbols as a precursor to reading and comprehension.

Good classrooms have rules and apply them with consistency.

The teachers talked about how children thrive on structure and depend on adults to follow through on stated expectations. I was struck by how the teachers all gave examples of positively engaging children on a regular basis as a key to creating a classroom environment where children feel safe to explore and learn.

Good classrooms make use of technology.

There was excitement about the presence of Smart Boards in every classroom. LCCAA’s classrooms also have children’s computers. All agreed that having access to technology improves teaching opportunities and allows teachers to more readily accommodate children’s differing learning styles.

Good classrooms welcome families.

Overwhelmingly, our new teachers agreed with this statement. Some teachers talked about the importance of bringing parents into the classroom. Others talked about how keeping parents informed with frequent communication in a variety of forms adds to how engaged parents become. Not one talked about just smiling a morning greeting. These teachers clearly have ideas for how they are going to engage families and partner with them on an ongoing basis.

I keep saying it is going to be an amazing year. The addition of these incredible teachers to our already outstanding staff will produce great outcomes for children and families in LCCAA’s Head Start program this year and in the years to come.