Pre-School Readiness

In any discussion of pre-school readiness, there is first and foremost the expectation that the parents have been engaged in talking with their child, and developing a loving and nurturing relationship.

They have been reading good childrens literature, teaching them the alphabet song and other concept songs, writing their name and some simple words like mom, dad, and generally being good role models of life-long learners themselves.

In the area of mathematics parents should be identifying the basic shapes, sorting items into groups that are the same; clothes, toys, etc. while naming characteristics of various items, counting out loud, recognizing numbers, counting objects, etc.

Families presumably have made a few trips to the zoo admiring the animals from all over the world, in parks observing nature and discussing plants and the animals they saw and most likely have taken trips to beaches, rivers, hilly or mountainous areas, they’ve camped, and have visited the childrens museum in their city. All of these things have helped to build a reservoir of knowledge, wonder and experiences in children long before they become “official students”.

There are some things that the school setting can help develop or support in your child that you have already begun teaching them at home. In the area of social skills; taking turns, sharing with classmates, being friendly, being kind to others, respecting authority, following rules and procedures, respecting their peers, helping others, and giving their best effort at whatever they undertake.

As a pre-school teacher, I have had the privilege to work with approximately 900 children over twenty years. It has been such a joy to watch them develop academic skills and abilities as well as social traits that will benefit them over their lifetime.

At a recent reunion of some teachers and a group of their former students, I was able to see the directions these young people were taking in their lives. I was so affirmed and overjoyed to observe that the efforts of their teachers’ labors had produced wonderful results in these delightful young adults. They were so complimentary when sharing their comments about ways their teachers had inspired them, and in one case a teacher had challenged a disinterested boy to finish school.

These children are all Hispanics; one girl is a graduate of Texas A&M, and is preparing to go to medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico. Another girl is on her way to becoming an RN, a third has two more years to go to become an elementary school teacher and is currently working as an assistant in a pre-school class, two boys are working for a local bank, another girl is a mother, but has plans to continue her education, etc.

These were not necessarily children from privileged families, in fact they lived in a very modest area, but they all had loving and supportive parents and teachers who provided the vision that they could become valuable and productive adults in whatever occupations they chose; the sky was the limit, hard work the requirement, and the will to persevere must come from them. Teaching is such a gratifying occupation; and don’t forget you are your child’s first and most important teacher!