I have been working with young children in an educational setting since 2007 – almost 16 years now!
I look back at my younger self, working at a daycare, sitting on the floor and building towers, cities and other designs for hours, losing myself in a child’s world. Watching young children grow and explore has been so exciting for me in regards to a career. Many times I have gotten chills in the classroom as I have witnessed a young child meet a milestone, say something profound, or simply made the class laugh with a witty joke only a young child can make.
When a young student enters my classroom, when their name is on my official roster, I feel so fortunate and lucky. I think, “Wow, I am the teacher who could potentially change this child’s life or be their favorite teacher or help them love learning.”
I get so excited to figure out a child’s likes and dislikes, what motivates them, and how to best help them learn. Part of me feels like a detective, secretly trying to master a plan that will convince a smart little human to challenge themselves and gain new skills.
Books have always been an important tool for me throughout my teaching career. The likes of “Peter the Cat” by James Dean, Dr. Seuss and Mo Willems, who wrote the hilarious books about a pigeon who often wants his way, have peppered my lessons with songs and rhythm. I am thankful for Eric Carle who wrote “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” because I can use his book to teach colors, nouns, names of animals, sequence, and so much more.
Teaching preschool also offers me spontaneity. If it’s snowing, I can bring snow into the classroom and have students paint the snow with vibrant (and of course washable) paint. If the students need a break, we can have an impromptu dance party to the “Hokey Pokey.” I get to watch students explore, find their likes, make friends, test their boundaries, and much more.
My teaching career has brought me to working with students who are mostly nonverbal. I find my nonverbal students communicate just as well as my verbal students but in a different way. I am now learning American Sign Language and learning how to use communication devices, such as an iPad with an App called TouchChat that helps students communicate with icons and verbal output. New technology is continually emerging, and I love I get to continue learning alongside my students.
Being an early childhood educator has brought many challenges that have been exciting and sometimes trying. Working with students with different needs has been rewarding beyond measure. My students make amazing gains in their own ways at their own times, which has taught me patience and a better understanding of how to differentiate in the classroom.
Finding new and different ways to expose young students to materials, objects, people and places around the community has been a learning experience for myself as well. Designing social stories and finding tools to help my students feel comfortable and secure has been a group effort among my team. I am lucky to find myself to be surrounded by other educators who want to support young learners and help them grow in a safe, secure environment.
One important lesson I have learned is teachers are not on an island by themselves. Throughout my career, I have reached out to many different educators, such as speech, physical and occupational therapists. Learning from other strong educators during my career has been a blessing that has benefitted myself as well as my students.
Being a preschool teacher does not simply involve “playing with kids all day,” as I am often thought of as doing by others. Play is often involved, of course, but there is so much more. It involves heart, vulnerability, problem-solving, assessment, curriculum, supporting parents and introducing young students into the community. The young students I have had the honor of working with have filled my heart with so much love and wonder.
Brittany Muller lives in Peru and works as a special education teacher at Lighted Way in La Salle. She enjoys writing and has worked on small school newspapers for much of her life.