Teaching Almost 4 Year Olds

When I started in daycare I was a floater the first few days and eventually settled into the 2 year old potty training room as an assistant to a new teacher. She was younger than me and our way of teaching very different but I was there to assist so that was what I did. As the potty training room, we had many challenges as with every age. After she left to have her own family, I asked for a break from toddlers and hoped to move to the 3s but found myself assigned to PreK.  While my class is not quite PreK I was excited as these are my kids from the last room. I know them and I know their families. It was a perfect way to start my “new” classroom on the other side of the building. 

I thought 2 was great. I loved holding them, caring for them, loving them, but this is a whole new ballgame. Teaching this group has been my favorite thing since I started working here 6+years ago. Seeing them grow, mature, LEARN, I mean really retain information has been a beautiful thing and I will not ever forget moments I’ve experienced with them. Yes there are challenges but when you see the lightbulb flash, notice critical thinking skills, hear yourself coming out of their mouths, all challenges have been worth it for this!

When I introduced writing to them in October and my class thought tracing their name was “too hard” to hearing one say literally 3 weeks later “it’s not hard for me anymore, Ms. Maria” a moment that still makes me tear up, I wish I had gone to school for teaching. Another tear up moment was when one of my kids noticed that the P in Jeep was like the P in his name. Omgosh nothing better.

There is nothing like knowing you are making a difference in their lives and while they may not remember  you in the long haul, you shaped their educational foundation. 

As we close 2022 I hope that somehow, someway I become an even better teacher to my next group, I hope these kids who all love books read to them (OMGOSH I love that they can sit for more than one tiny book and ask for sometimes 5 during the day) become avid book readers or who knows even writers one day. 

What a blessing it has been to teach these almost 4 year olds I wish I could do my own kids all over again but since I can’t helping my daytime kids is one of the best things I have ever done.