My experience at my preschool has been even more enlightening and rewarding than I expected. It has given me an opportunity to leave the "Tulane Bubble" and gain perspective. The schools that I worked with in the past through Tulane service clubs and events have almost exclusively been private schools in uptown New Orleans, which are not very representative of the New Orleans community. Working with my preschool through Project DIRECT has given me the opportunity to meet people who have had experiences that are very different from my own.
I became acclimated to my classroom environment very quickly. The children were shy for mere minutes before warming up to me. For the first few months, the head teacher was on maternity leave, and the assistant teacher had me help her with various classroom projects and provide casual observations about each student. I made a "fireplace" for their christmas stocking area, helped create a system to reorganize the blocks area, and organized student artwork, among other things. First semester, my time in the classroom overlapped with a half hour of naptime, which is when I worked on such projects. My time also overlapped with lunchtime and freeplay, which gave me the opportunity to engage the children in conversation and watch them learn new social and tactile skills.
My second semester in the classroom, I immediately clicked with the head teacher when she returned from leave and continued to work with her and the assistant teacher. My classroom time is more productive and enriching this semester, as it does not overlap with naptime. I start the day with freeplay for about a half hour, then help with serving breakfast and talk to the students while they eat, then engage in library time, watch circle time, and play with the children outside.
The children may be too comfortable with me from time to time, and the teachers have attempted to change that. For instance, after breakfast, there is about a fifteen minute period between free library time and the teacher's circle time. I take this opportunity to let each child choose a book, and I take turns reading each book to the group. I started letting one child sit on my lap, and soon all the students were taking turns sitting on my lap, which soon led to fights about sitting on my lap, along with multiple students trying to sit on my lap simultaneously. Additionally, while I read the books, even if the children are not sitting on my lap, they tend to sit very close to me and vie for my attention. Sometimes it is difficult to finish a page, nevermind several books this way. I do not mind too much, because I love spending time with them, but the teachers do sometimes intervene to give me more space. Although there are minor challenges, my preschool visits are still a highlight of my week. Reading to the children is a valuable experience as it has allowed me to teach them new words, objects, animals, and overall listening skills. Also, watching the head teacher's strategies while leading circle time has enabled me to better engage with the children. Overall, my weekly preschool time has definitely contributed to my growth as a person.
I became acclimated to my classroom environment very quickly. The children were shy for mere minutes before warming up to me. For the first few months, the head teacher was on maternity leave, and the assistant teacher had me help her with various classroom projects and provide casual observations about each student. I made a "fireplace" for their christmas stocking area, helped create a system to reorganize the blocks area, and organized student artwork, among other things. First semester, my time in the classroom overlapped with a half hour of naptime, which is when I worked on such projects. My time also overlapped with lunchtime and freeplay, which gave me the opportunity to engage the children in conversation and watch them learn new social and tactile skills.
My second semester in the classroom, I immediately clicked with the head teacher when she returned from leave and continued to work with her and the assistant teacher. My classroom time is more productive and enriching this semester, as it does not overlap with naptime. I start the day with freeplay for about a half hour, then help with serving breakfast and talk to the students while they eat, then engage in library time, watch circle time, and play with the children outside.
The children may be too comfortable with me from time to time, and the teachers have attempted to change that. For instance, after breakfast, there is about a fifteen minute period between free library time and the teacher's circle time. I take this opportunity to let each child choose a book, and I take turns reading each book to the group. I started letting one child sit on my lap, and soon all the students were taking turns sitting on my lap, which soon led to fights about sitting on my lap, along with multiple students trying to sit on my lap simultaneously. Additionally, while I read the books, even if the children are not sitting on my lap, they tend to sit very close to me and vie for my attention. Sometimes it is difficult to finish a page, nevermind several books this way. I do not mind too much, because I love spending time with them, but the teachers do sometimes intervene to give me more space. Although there are minor challenges, my preschool visits are still a highlight of my week. Reading to the children is a valuable experience as it has allowed me to teach them new words, objects, animals, and overall listening skills. Also, watching the head teacher's strategies while leading circle time has enabled me to better engage with the children. Overall, my weekly preschool time has definitely contributed to my growth as a person.
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