The end of any school year is a time for letting go, moving on, and saying good-bye, however this year it will be bittersweet for me. After 15 years in pre-k I will be leaving my classroom and students behind to become a Pre-K Instructional Facilitator. In this new job I will no longer have my own classroom, but I will be expanding my impact to all the pre-k students in our district by working directly with their teachers. In addition to leaving my classroom behind, I will also be saying good-bye to Pre-K Now as a regular blogger. My new job brings with it new demands; I will no longer have a classroom from which to draw my anecdotes. Therefore, I feel it best to pass the torch to another pre-k teacher who can give Inside Pre-K readers the time and attention they deserve.
I am very excited that my district chose me to be a part of this cutting edge decision. The creation of the Pre-K Instructional Facilitator position is proof that pre-k is moving ever closer to the forefront of educational awareness. When an urban district as large as mine, operating with a $12 million deficit, opts to fund Pre-K Instructional Facilitators it’s a sign that pre-k has finally made it, somebody is finally realizing the importance early childhood education plays in the big picture.
Believe me, this decision was not an easy one to make,but I've never been one to turn down an adventure. I look at this as yet another stop in my journey as an early childhood educator. I will try not to dwell on the things I will miss, but rather look forward to the new adventures I will have. Although I may be absent from the classroom and Pre-K Now, I can still be found at my website, Pre-K Pages should you ever need to contact me.
I am not big on good-byes, so instead I have written a letter to the teacher who will replace me, whoever he or she may be:
Dear New Teacher:
Congratulations and welcome to your new classroom! I hope you enjoy your time here as much as I did. As you embark upon this new journey in your life I thought I would share some tips and tricks for making your transition to our school as easy as possible:
The principal: If this is your first job consider yourself very lucky because you just won the jackpot lotto of all principals! He plays fair- do your job and do it well and he will look out for you. If he had a motto it would be “no whining!”- so don’t bother.
Your co-workers: Once again, if you are a first year teacher you just won hit the jackpot again! What are the odds? You have the best co-workers in the entire district. They are the most knowledgeable, helpful, and hard-working bunch around. Treat them with the respect they deserve and they will do the same for you. Never be afraid to ask them a question, that’s what they’re there for.
The custodian: He is your best friend! We have the world’s best custodian and he is to be treated as such.
The secretary: The secretary is the real boss of the school; don’t let anyone tell you differently. She loves chocolate so keep that in mind when your ink cartridge runs out in your printer.
The copier: The most important item in any school building, treat it kindly and it will produce copies on demand. On the other hand, if you cuss at it, it will break- Murphy’s Law.
The Teacher’s Lounge: Just two words- Stay Away! The number of cockroaches that reside there are greater than the number of students in the school (700)
As with any job, there will be bumps in the road along the way, and days when it’s smooth sailing. On those bumpy days lean on your new school family and they will help you through the tough times.
A teacher is only one person, no matter how good a teacher he or she is. It takes more than one person to create a successful student. Just like the African proverb says, it really does take a village to raise a child.
This brings me to the heart of what it takes to create an engaged and successful student, parent involvement. It's more than passing out napkins and juice at snack time. Parent involvement is about engaging parents in their child’s education and teaching them how to become involved.
We start teaching parents what pre-k is all about at our pre-k registration in the spring. Before students step foot in class, parents are shown a video of developmental milestones for four year olds. Many parents are shocked to learn that a child of four years of age should be fully potty trained and weaned from a bottle, even more so when they learn that it's their job to do it! We offer tips and resources at the close of the video to help them accomplish these goals, and, when the parents return in the fall to complete their registration, we show the same video again to ingrain the idea in their minds.
Next, just before school starts, we hold a Pre-K Orientation meeting in our classroom for both parents and students. There another video showing the ins and outs of attending pre-k is played. A few weeks following orientation, we invite parents back again to teach them how best to help their children at home. We provide each parent with all the materials necessary to reinforce classroom learning at home.
Parent/teacher conferences,another important component of parent involvement, are also critical to a child's success in the classroom. More than just in-person progress reports, I approach these meetings like coaching sessions. Every parent is provided with a packet of information that is reviewed carefully with them. If I notice a student struggling with letter identification, I review that particular section of the packet with the parent. I discuss a variety of ways that mom and dad can help build the skill at home, like pouring salt onto a dark plate or surface and writing the letters in the salt. I do an in-conference demonstration for every student's parents. If the issue is fine motor skills, we review the page in the packet that explains how to strengthen the muscles in the hand using simple and fun exercises. Demonstrations are key to the parent's success of following through with the proposed activity at home.
So you’re probably thinking all that sounds like a lot of work. Well you’re right, it most certainly is! But the pay off, stronger pre-k students and parents getting involved in their child’s education, is priceless. When you teach a parent how to become involved, odds are that they will remain that way through the rest of their child’s educational career.
Sadly, using the assessment scores for my class as an example, the 4 students who consistently scored the lowest had parents who weren't involved in their education. The equation, more involved parents equals more successful students, speaks for itself.
I think the most important thing about parental involvement is to remember it’s not just about physically being in the classroom. Learning how to be involved in the child’s education - early - is a key component to their overall school success.
If you’re looking for a great debate get a group of pre-k teachers together and mention the word “graduation”. The two camps in this argument are evenly divided: those who are in favor of graduation ceremonies for pre-k students - generally the parents, and those who are against them - usually us teachers.
Having taught pre-k in both public school and several Head Start campuses over the years, I have seen it all when it comes to end-of-the-year celebrations. At Head Start we had a picnic where families were invited to spend the day with their child and enjoy a cookout on the last day of school. On one campus in my current district, we had a huge and elaborate graduation ceremony with performances, diplomas, caps, and refreshments. In another former job, we had a simple, low-key “awards ceremony” where students received a diploma - sans caps, performances, and refreshments.
Personally, I prefer the picnic over all the other forms of celebrations because it is the most meaningful and least stressful to all parties involved. When it comes to formal graduation ceremonies, the stress levels are high for both teachers and students. Instructional time is wasted on practicing the performances and young children get stressed and nervous about performing on stage. Teachers are under enormous amounts of pressure to deliver a good performance and “wow” the audience. All this stress added to our already hectic, end-of-the-year, deadline laden schedule.
On the other hand, it is the parents who want to experience the traditional graduation milestone, no matter how early, in their child’s life. The pressure from parents to have elaborate graduation ceremonies, especially in areas of high poverty and rising drop-out rates, is enormous. Many of these parents have never experienced a graduation of their own and are anxious for their children to experience as many as possible. They want to invite grandparents and videotape the memorable event. Some private schools also put on grandeous graduation ceremonies to show the parents what they are paying for, and at this point in the game, many parents expect it.
Whatever your situation, I encourage you to make your end-of-the-year choices based on what is the most meaningful to the students. With a school of over 700 students we have to do what works best for our huge numbers. An all school picnic wouldn’t have enough parking or space for all the parents. With no trees or shade to speak of on the playground, an air-conditioned, indoor awards ceremony, without the pomp and circumstance of performances, is our best alternative.
What are you doing to wrap up the year in your pre-k classroom?
Treat each child in your classroom as if he or she is going to be the next president of the United States.
I don’t remember the first time I heard it or even who said it, but I have adopted this philosophy and made it my own over the years. It may sound crazy to some, but it’s the only way to level the playing field in a profession that is fraught with what us Texans refer to as “Pobrecito Syndrome”.
The word pobrecito is spanish slang for “poor little thing”. More specifically, Pobrecito Syndrome refers to teachers who feel sorry for disadvantaged students instead of holding them to the highest of standards. This syndrome runs rampant in inner city schools, all too often staffed with the most inexperienced teachers instead of those most seasoned in their craft.
Working in an urban setting in the Dallas area, I often feel that Pobrecito Syndrome is an epidemic. I have worked with more than my fair share of teachers who refuse to teach their students and give them the tools they need to succeed in school so they can rise above their circumstances. Instead, teachers afflicted with Pobrecito Syndrome take pity on their students. The pity can take many forms such as buying students material things (i.e. clothes), passing students who have earned failing grades, or showing one's students lots of affection and ignoring bad behavior. Don’t get me wrong, these teachers usually have big hearts and mean well. What they don’t understand is that they are actually hurting their students. I show my students plenty of affection, but I also hold them to extremely high standards for their own benefit.
The saddest part of Pobrecito Syndrome is that the students can tell which teachers are afflicted. Those teachers usually have the worst classroom management (because their students are just poor little things after all) and their students are constantly taking advantage of them. Students in Pobrecito classrooms are often demanding and unruly; they know they don’t have to behave because their teacher feels sorry for them. This is how the cycle begins, if students have more than one Pobrecito teacher in their primary years it becomes almost impossible for them to catch up.
Recently, an interesting article by Mike Schmoker was called to my attention (thanks Angela!). In his article, Crayola Curriculum, Mr. Schmoker visited a number of schools across the country and discussed a similar phenomenon in his piece:
“One of the questions I would occasionally ask teachers…, especially if it was late in the school year, was whether or not students knew the alphabet and its sounds. The teachers would regularly say no, but add that, after all, these were either poor or second-language students. The question in my mind, never uttered, was this: "Why wouldn't they be learning the alphabet? Why are they coloring instead of being taught to read?"
His findings suggest that students are given more coloring assignments than mathematics or writing assignments- thus spawning his clever title, Crayola Curriculum.
He urges all teachers to examine our teaching practices closely, especially those of us working within the early grades and with disadvantaged students.
“Kids, especially those in disadvantaged settings, don't have a chance unless we teach them to read, early and well. This can happen the moment we charge teachers and administrators in every school and district to give reading and language arts instruction the thoroughgoing, common-sense review it so desperately needs.”
One educator who has taken the "future president" philosophy to heart is Ron Clark. Mr. Clark exemplifies a teacher who not only holds his students to higher standards, but also helps them to surpass even their wildest dreams. His inspirational story should be required viewing for all new teachers. Equally inspiring is his book The Essential 55.
I urge all of us, both teachers and non-teachers alike, to avoid falling into the Pobrecito Syndrome trap. Make a point to set high standards for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic status or skin color, so we can all do our part in creating America's future presidents.
One of my greatest pet peeves as a teacher is when I encounter non-teaching civilians in the streets who upon introduction say, “Oh, you’re a teacher, you get summers off; that must be nice!” Anyone who is a teacher or is related to one knows that nothing could be further from the truth. We teachers earn our summers off. And even during those "three months off," we're still constantly working.
During the summer months I run myself ragged trying to prepare for a new school year. I attend many workshops and in-services, I spend time on the internet researching new ideas to try in my classroom, I read books on, about, and by teachers, and in my "spare" time, I organize, arrange, restock, and prepare my classroom for the upcoming school year.
I typically have so many things I want to accomplish over the summer that I create a special summer calendar. Prioritizing tasks and setting realitsic deadlines enables me to budget my time wisely and avoid getting needlessly overwhelmed. Some items on my summer calendar are big projects that I will work on continuously throughout the summer, like making new take-home packs. Others are short and easy, for example buying new birthday crowns at the teacher store.
One thing I have learned to do is to carve out time for myself in my summer calendar. If I don’t schedule time for me, I feel robbed of a vacation and don't have the energy needed to kick off a new and successful school year. Besides, it’s fun to explore new things I don’t have time for during the school year! This year I'll be writing lessons for a local preschool summer camp, visiting family in Michigan, giving workshops to teachers, reading for pleasure (I can’t wait for Janet Evanovich’s new book!), and working on my website.
So, word to the wise for all you non-teachers civilians out there: never imply that teachers have three months off in the summer!
Recently, Inside Pre-K co-blogger Karissa wrote about how quickly summer vacation is approaching for her and her students. By the time this article is posted, her community-based center will officially be on vacation.
However, my pre-k classroom, embedded within a public school system, follows the regular K-12 school calendar. Summer fun won't come until our last day of class, this year it falls on June 5th. And we've got quite a ways to go and myriad of assessments to complete before we get there. For this reason, many teachers in my district refer to the final six to nine weeks of school as “crunch time.”
During our final weeks together, I have to assess each student one-on-one in a multitude of areas. Here’s a breakdown of our testing:
CIRCLE testing on palm pilot: Assesses 7 areas of phonemic awareness, all letters -- uppercase and lowercase, letter sounds, vocabulary, nine concepts of print, and writing assessment. Each question must be administered one-on-one.
PMI- Primary Math Inventory: 3 pages of math assessment that must be administered one-on-one. Questions can only be asked one at a time to each student (for example, if you start with student A and ask question number 1, then you have to move to student B and ask question 1, when you get to the last student you can then move to question number 2).
DRA- Diagnostic Reading Assessment: Students reading levels are assessed, this test is also administered one-on-one. The more the student knows, the longer the test takes.
Report card testing: Each child must also be assessed on report card skills not covered in the aforementioned tests, such as oral counting, name writing, color identification, number recognition etc. All of this testing is also done one-on-one.
Now you’re probably wondering when I have time to teach if I’m doing all this one-on-one testing. The answer is, I don’t! It’s just not physically possible to do all the required testing and teach a classroom of 22 four year olds simultaneously.
Add that to the mix of numerous paperwork deadlines, meetings, registering pre-k students for next year, not to mention the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, class pictures, Mother’s Day, and end-of-year celebrations that come with the territory. It’s no wonder that teacher appreciation days come during the first week of May. It's a bribe so we will make it through until the end of the year!
Karissa also wrote about her concerns regarding her student’s lengthy summer vacation. We’re fortunate that in our district all ELL (English Language Learner) pre-k students are eligible to attend a free summer school program where they will continue to develop their oral language skills, should their parents agree to enroll them. The program Learning the Language is offered from June 11th – July 11th, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and includes free bussing and meals.
But unfortunately, not all students qualify for Learning the Language, so I send each of them home with a "summer fun" kit I've devised for them and their parents. It includes:
A letter to parents explaining the content of the kit.
A Map, the address and the phone number to the local library, as well as directions on how to obtain a library card.
A Calendar with dates and times for story hour at the local library as well as dates of special local events such as discount days at the zoo.
A reproducible nursery rhyme booklet, enabling students to practice their nursery rhymes over the summer.
A book list of the top 100 books for preschoolers to check out at the library. Titles include classics such as: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, The Rainbow Fish, The Snowy Day, Corduroy, and The Runaway Bunny.
An Activity-a-Day calendar, like this one from Preschool Express. I generally make up my own activities for July and August as they're not published in advance.
A number booklet comprised of 20 sheets of paper stapled together with a number and the words to each of our number songs on each page. The students practice recognizing their numbers by singing the song on each page. The words are so the parents can read and sing along as well.
An alphabet chart- so students can practice singing their letter sound songs or use it when they write.
A Blank booklet so students can “journal” or write about their summer experiences.
One free treat coupon from local ice cream shop. If you ask nicely, most places will give you free treat coupons to give to your students.
One Scholastic book: I use my bonus points and buy each child one book so they will have a book at home to read. Scholastic offers one 95-cent book each month.
Information about our summer daycare program for those students that don’t qualify for our ELL summer program. Our district offers summer daycare for students ages 5 and up at very affordable rates. The program is staffed and run by teachers.
A Brown paper bag with leftover crayons, markers, pencils, construction paper, glue, scissors, etc. so students can create and practice writing during the summer months.
A Pre-addressed postcard so students can send me a postcard if they travel, or just for fun!
(Note to self: Add “make summer fun packets” to already lengthy crunch time to-do list!)
I have written often here about the benefits of technology and Web 2.0 elements in the early childhood classroom. Recently I’ve been thinking about literacy and how our teaching methods also need to change to keep up with the pace of 21st century learning. If we expose our students to the latest technology through our teaching of other types of curriculum, shouldn’t the same be true for literacy instruction? The same emphasis should be placed on advancing our literacy instruction that has been placed on technology; in fact, the two should go hand in hand.
Why then, are so many pre-k programs still clinging to antiquated literacy approaches such as letter of the week? Often it’s not the teacher who is choosing to use letter of the week, it’s the pre-k program that is mandating it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again;
If there are 36 weeks in a school year and 26 weeks are spent teaching the letters one at a time, valuable learning time is wasted.
I’m puzzled why so many pre-k programs across the US, both public and private, still use the letter of the week method as their main source of literacy instruction when research has shown it to be ineffective at best. It’s time we shed this outdated method in favor of more research based best practices to give our students the best literacy instruction.
Some of the arguments for leaving letter of the week behind are:
The students who struggle the most with learning the letters are the ones who are least helped by teaching letters in isolation.
Young children need something to help them make connections - isolating letters doesn't do that.
Teaching with letter of the week slows readers down, yet it's too fast for others, it doesn't meet the needs of all learners and there is no room for differentiation.
It is more meaningful to introduce letters as they become meaningful to the students, they will retain more this way.
Children who are taught letters in isolation often have difficulty placing that information into literacy activities (Wood and McLeMore, 2001)
Removing letters from their meaningful context removes the meaning and purpose from the letter.
In place of letter of the week pre-k teachers should embrace best practices such as:
Interactive Writing
Writing Workshop
Reading Workshop
Teaching letters through fun student name activities
Incorporating environmental print
Implementing name/word walls
Phonemic awareness
When best practices are used in the pre-k classroom the results are phenomenal. Students learn their letters and letter sounds much more quickly and thus there is more time to focus on other equally important skills such as phonemic awareness and concepts of print. By the end of the year in my full-day pre-k classroom most of my students:
Recognize all upper and lowercase letters
Know all letter sounds
Can identify characters, setting, events, problems, and solutions in any given book.
Can make inferences and predictions in any given book using the skills they have learned in reading workshop.
Can identify the beginning, middle, and end of any given story.
Can write stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Can write a story that makes sense and uses phonetic spelling- or the sounds they hear in the words.
Can identify the basic conventions of print and use them in their writing. For example; their writing reads from left to right, they use spaces between words, and they use punctuation such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
All of this has been accomplished in very developmentally appropriate, engaging, and fun ways.
I can only surmise that teachers and programs that still use letter of the week do so because it provides a clear and easy path to follow- start with A and end with Z. It’s easy for administrators to hold teachers accountable when they know what letter is supposed to be taught when. It’s also easy for parents to know what their child is learning when the letters are introduced one at a time. However, it’s not our job as teachers to do what is easy, it’s our job to what is best for our students. We must educate parents and administrators about the best practices and why they are more beneficial.
Teaching is often referred to as being “in the trenches” and if you have ever wondered what that means, by all means keep reading.
If you've even heard of Pioneer Day, my guess is you'd think its some quirky thing we do down here in Texas to celebrate our diverse heritage. You'd be very wrong though.
It all started with a bang last week-- literally -- when a severe storm with winds of 90+ mph ripped through our community in the middle of the night. The morning after, as I drove to school slowly inching my way through the darkened intersections of Dallas Fort-Worth, I contemplated the numerous scenarios that might lie ahead: Was the school still in tact? Were our students safe? Did they still have adequate housing? As I pulled into the parking lot, I was relieved to see that the first of my worries was unfounded. Some trees had fallen near the playground and the power was out, but our building was still standing.
My relief quickly turned to horror as I entered the darkened school to discover that classes were running on schedule. No, it wasn't a typical nightmare or “schoolmare” that us teachers often have, but basic necessities like air conditioning in the Texas heat and classroom and bathroom windows were completely missing . As I toured the damage, I had to pinch myself several times to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation.
Our principal had things under control calling both teachers and students to the cafeteria. There we were informed of temporary emergency procedures: some classrooms were doubled up to make use of windows, several were forced to conduct lessons in the library, while others found themselves teaching traumatized children in the hallways near open outside doors.
Many students were crying and fearful of the dark although we had a small window in our room that provided some light. One little boy crying hysterically kept asking for our custodian. When I asked him why he said, “Because Mr. S fixes things and he can fix the lights!” Soon the chorus of “why’s” became deafening and completely overwhelming. No matter how many times we explained the power outage, the concept was too abstract for our little ones to understand. One after another they chimed in:
"Why can’t you turn on the lights?"
"Why is it so hot in here?"
"Why can’t we do the calendar?" (Our calendar is now done via the ActivBoard, which requires power)
"Why didn’t we hear the morning announcements?"
Multiply the above questions by 1000 and crank up the volume of inconsolable children 44 times to understand my day in a nutshell. While pre-k teachers are known for having many talents and skills, I assure you teaching a double-class of four-year-olds in the dark is not one of them.
We waited patiently for the announcement that school would be canceled as the temperatures in the classroom began to climb. The power lines weren’t the only things buzzing as teachers scurried back and forth with their flashlights to find out what was going on. With little new to report, the verdict was in, we would have to make do for now.
Our principal, known far and wide for his wit and witticisms, quickly coined the term “Pioneer Day” to help lighten the mood. His humor and contribution, ordering pizza for the entire staff, did wonders for staff moral. We quickly established a makeshift Pioneer Day schedule that included taking the students to the bathroom with flashlights. Our two classes alternated throughout the day; while one group sat at the tables, the other circled in a carpeted, large group area. We were fortunate that the calm after the storm brought a beautiful day. Half the students took a walk outside, while the remaining listened to a story (listening being the operative word since it was difficult to see the pictures), before we switched.
By the end of the school day, Pioneer Day had a whole new meaning for me. I felt like I had survived an entire month on a wagon train! Sweaty, dirty, and exhausted, legs and back aching from the day's constant crowd control activities, I had made it. Even my jaw hurt from having to talk constantly: ‘It’s going to be okay." "We’re safe." "I’m sorry I can’t turn on the lights.”
Although I didn’t have a mirror, I am certain I looked as if I had spent the entire day in a trench. But that's what being a good teacher is all about: surviving the trenches by making do with what you've got and still managing to bring the troops home safely. At the end of the day, I was grateful to be in a figurative trench with my class rather than the overseas or stuck-behind-a-desk-in-a-quiet-office-space variety.
Let this story serve as a reminder: be it Teacher Appreciation Day or any day, take time out of your busy schedule to thank a teacher for a job well done. While circumstances differ, chances are they too know about the trenches as operating within them just comes with our territory.
Any experienced early education teacher will tell you there are three key ingredients that go into creating every recipe for classroom success: blood, sweat, and tears. Just like any good chef, good teachers add their own flair, spices, and secret ingredients to their classrooms to make the flavor “just right”. No two classrooms are the same because no two chefs teachers are the same. What separates me from Ms. Hoffman the fifth grade teacher down the hall and Chef Boyardee culinary extraordinaire is music.
As a pre-k teacher, I'm continually thinking of ways to motivate my students to learn, while keeping them focused on the activity at hand. Learning the lesson is only one piece of the puzzle; ensuring the concept being taught is retained for future application is where success lies. I have found music to be the most engaging, beneficial way to give my students memorable and meaningful learning experiences while keeping them alert and on task. Simply singing or playing the first few beats of a particular song can allay dangerous daydreaming and classroom catastrophes. I incorporate music in my classroom as often as I incorporate technology – which is constantly.
Here are just a few examples of songs I use to teach skills and concepts in the classroom:
Dr. Jean’s Rise and Shine song = good morning ritual
Sweet Honey in the Rock “Oh My Goodness Look at This Mess” = clean-up routines and procedures
Dr. Jean’s Good-bye Friends song = good-bye ritual
No discussion about music in early childhood education would be complete without a mention of visuals. For an auditory lesson to have maximum impact, singing a song is just not enough. Visual aids accommodate students of different learning styles while introducing students to new skills and reinforcing thier knowledge retention. Another obvious benefit, imagery assists ESL learners in easily grasping otherwise difficult English language concepts. Examples of visual props to use with music include:
Clip-Art: Pictures that go with a song (i.e. pictures of the animals to go with the song I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly)
Stuffed animals or puppets (i.e. a stuffed dog or dog puppet to go with the song B-I-N-G-O)
Toys (i.e. a toy boat to go with the song Row, Row, Row, Your Boat)
Actions: Using simple actions to accompany songs such as dance movements to Jack Hartmann’s Rhymin’ to the Beat Nursery Rhymes
To the trained musical ear, auditory lessons might not be considered “music” at all. And while This Old Man and Down by the Bay aren’t the revered works of Bach or Beethoven, they are effective tools that promote fun learning to otherwise un-captive 3 and 4-year-old audiences. Integral to any early education lesson is the ingredient music. There’s always room for a sprinkle of Raffi or dash of Rachmaninoff in a delicious pre-k recipe.
Recently I wrote about the proposed revisions to the Texas Pre-K Guidelines. The Texas Education Agency has posted the proposed revisions on its website for the public to view and comment on until April 15th. Be forewarned though, the document is a lengthy read totaling 115 pages in its entirety!
The good news: most of what is being proposed is both appropriate and achievable. A few of the revisions, such as “Centers should have certain basic equipment and an ever-changing variety of materials to intrigue the children,” seem a bit utopian given their dependence on funding. Overall though, I'm extremely pleased.
For the most part, the proposed changes are realistic and provide plenty of research to support the provided recommendations. In my opinion, the standards have been raised sufficiently while still managing to maintain the integrity of pre-k programs. I have outlined some of the high points of the revised guidelines below.
Full Day Pre-K: This year's revisions included a well-known fact, in the early education community, some pre-kindergarten programs out there are full-day (page 25)! Most public pre-k programs are half-day, but as a full-day pre-k teacher myself, it was important to me that we were finally acknowledged as a part of the early childhood education community. Notable progress included:
Providing a sample schedule for a full-day classroom
Suggestions regarding the recommended number of read alouds per day: 3 for full-day programs, 2 for half-day programs
Physical Space, an area previously neglected in earlier reports that is sorely in need of being addressed, included guidelines on how classrooms should be set up and organized. Suggestions provided were:
Traffic patterns
Materials placed within children's reach
Organized storage
Adequate equipment and supplies
Clearly defined areas
Centers
Small and large group areas
Parental Involvement is a crucial part of any successful pre-k program because parents are a child’s first teacher. Among the highlights:
Informing parents about what their children should learn in pre-k
Keeping parents informed about their children’s progress
Giving parents specific ideas about how they can help out at home
Using home visits, teacher conferences, and parent training classes to keep parents informed
Assessment: I found the section on assessment very interesting and timely. It states, “Children with mental, physical, or emotional difficulties that may require special services benefit greatly from early detection and diagnosis. For such children, diagnostic assessments can be very helpful.”
We are currently struggling with an increase of pre-k students who need special services on my campus. However, since we provide no screening services before school begins and are not required by law to do so, it is a tremendous undertaking trying to get students the proper services needed to maximize their success in the classroom. The process is so long and arduous, it often takes until kindergarten for our students to be identified, tested, and to begin receiving services.
Literacy: The literacy section was right on target including helpful examples of the different stages of writing. The requirements for alphabet knowledge have increased from “identifies 10 letters” to:
Recognizes all letters when named by someone else
Child names all upper and lowercase letters
Child recognizes 10 letter sounds
Math: While I’m a little leery of the changes to the math section, I'm certainly willing to give them a try. With a little extra effort and music, I'm sure both my students and I can meet these new challenges. Interesting additions included:
Oral counting to 30
Addition word problems to 5
Subtraction word problems to 5
Science was one area that was beefed up considerably with new additions including teaching 4 year olds about the solar system and energy. Other notable concepts mentioned:
Energy (light, heat, electricity)
Organisms
Life cycles
Earth materials (rocks, soil, etc.)
Sky (sun, planets, etc.)
Weather
Sadly, these are only “guidelines,” and pre-k programs in Texas are not required by law to follow them. I have already identified several areas that I can predict with some certainty my district won’t be persuaded to follow, such as the diagnostic assessment piece. Any diagnostic tests would have to be administered in the student's native language - a real challenge when you have as many languages spoken as we do in our district. In addition, increased testing and earlier diagnosis would likely result in overcrowding within special ed classrooms.
While the new Texas Pre-K Guidelines are both child-centered and developmentally appropriate, many districts in Texas - including my own - do not have a dedicated person in charge of pre-k program curriculum and delivery. If the guidelines were mandated, it would benefit all pre-k programs in our state by ensuring the existence of developmentally appropriate standards for all early childhood education instruction.
Pre-K Now is a public
education and advocacy organization that advances high-quality, voluntary
pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds.
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