Goals

I was thinking a lot about goals today. I have a few personal goals for myself but I also have some for the classroom. I think they have changed a great deal since last year.

I think that most people think that Preschool should be full of academics. I used to think the same. I thought I was a terrible teacher if the 4 and 5 year olds in my class couldn't identify all of their uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, colors and shapes. I used to think I was a terrible teacher if they couldn't print their first and last name perfectly and do simple addition.

A lot has changed in a year. My perspective has changed on what makes a good teacher. Now, I'll think I'm a terrible teacher if I have a classroom full of selfish kids. I'll think I'm a terrible teacher if every single kid in my class doesn't know how special and loved they are. I'll think I'm a terrible teacher if I don't tell them that every single day. Children have years of schooling to learn how to print perfectly and learn every single letter, number, shape and color. Those things are all still incredibly important to me and we will continue to work on them every day but to me it's more important that the children in my class are confident, caring, independent and loving little human beings. I don't think that those qualities are taught by doing worksheets and drilling them with flashcards. 

So I guess you could say that my number one goal for the classroom is to instill confidence in each child in my room. I will tell them every day that I love them and I think they are awesome. Of course they'll still learn their letters, they'll learn how to hold a pencil correctly and print their name. I may be biased but I really do think that I have the best group of preschoolers in the world. I think 2013 is going to be a great year for all of us!