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Welcome to the next installment of our Meet the Teacher series. Today we will be talking with Laura White. Laura joined us in 2009 as a lead teacher. She is a graduate of The University of Florida with a B.S. in Education. With over eight years of teaching experience, Laura has a proven ability to enable each child to flourish within a fun and positive learning environment.
We asked Laura to answer some questions for us and here is what she had to say:
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Q. What drew you to early childhood education?
I have always worked in education, mostly older children, but after I took some time off to raise my own children, I really missed being around the “little ones.” My children had a hard time separating from me in preschool and with the help of some special teachers they were able to more easily. I wanted to be able to do the same. I wanted not only the children to be okay, but also the parent.
Q. What do you love most about your work in early childhood education?
Everything! I love the way they love their “mommies” and “daddies” so much, the way everything is so exciting to them, the way they want to learn as much as they can and the wonder they have for so many things. By the end of the year it is always so fulfilling to see how much they have grown and learned throughout the year.
Q. What has been your most memorable “aha” moment at Little Footprints?
I had a little girl come into our class. She was from another country and didn’t know any English and had never been around any people other than her parents and grandparents. She was terrified as you can imagine. With a lot of patience and hard work, the day came when she was smiling (not crying) at drop off because she was happy to be with us. What an wonderful feeling that was! I knew she was happy and felt safe with us.
Q. What are your goals for your class?
Although there are many goals, a few are: to be as happy with us as they are in their own home, to know God loves them, to learn through play (without the stress and pressure), to socialize with peers, and to have self-confidence.
Q. How do you communicate the progress of children to parents?
We have conferences two times a year, but I will always reach out earlier if there is a concern. All of the families can reach me by phone or e-mail, and I will always make time to hear any concerns they may have. I like to keep an open line of communication at all times.
Q. In what ways do you use your class to help children develop concepts of Christian living?
My class develops concepts of Christian living though stories that we read, our own actions, and the way we treat each other.
Q. How do you help children develop an interest in words and reading?
We read a lot of stories!
Q. How do you make beginning math concepts fun for children in your class?
We do a lot of counting. For example, we talk about how many days there are in a week. After we count them, we jump to the number of days while counting out loud.
Q. In what ways does your class help expand children’s communication skills?
I love to ask a lot of questions, some silly to make them laugh. The more you ask and listen, the more you learn from them. Some children take longer than others to open up, but by the middle of the year everyone is sharing their exciting stories and talking not just to me, but to each other.
Thank You Laura!
