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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2011 - Page 9 This Is How A Preschool Should Be By Brooke Amo I take a deep breath and inhale. Immediately my senses are over whelmed with pleasure. The smell of finger paint, fresh baked cook ies, and play dough fill the air. In the hallways, the sound of cheer ful acoustics on the guitar and children gleefully singing can be heard. The vision of child painted creations blanket the walls, gain, I retreat to my senses as I move the halls and quietly decide that this is what a preschool should be like. Brooke Amo with daughter Nora. As I moved steadily through the halls, I steal glimpses into a classroom. I saw a princess pour ing tea, a knight brandishing his sword, engineers diligently build ing the tallest and sturdiest build ings, and artists eagerly coating their canvas with their big drip ping paintbrushes. Captivated in what the children were doing, I was drawn deeper into the class room. I was warmly greeted by the teacher and the children who were extremely excited to share what they were doing. I stayed and watched the morning develop. As the teacher effectively transi tioned the children into circle time, I noticed the looks on the faces of the children. Just by observing, I could tell they felt happy, secure, and excited about learning and being at school. Students gathered to learn about Rosh Hashanah. As veterans of the school (four year olds), they talked about apples and honey, saying sorry, and the earth’s birth day with confidence. As the teacher gathered the previous knowledge of the chili-en, her wheels upstairs began to roll. She laid out various materials to engage the children and actively incorporate all of their intelli gences. She was determined to teach the concept at hand. After an engaging lesson, she sent the chil dren to explore and initiate learn ing in centers. The children care fully chose designed and differen tiated centers that reinforced the concept taught. This learning environment was equally as nur turing as it was stimulating. As a newbie I wondered could this edu cation be happening throughout the entire building? Are all the teachers this strong, knowledge able, prepared, caring? Does every classroom have endless amounts of materials to maximize each learning experiences? Throughout the school, the same standards were evident. I wandered room to room astonished by the level of teaching and in awe of the build ing and resources available to the teachers and more importantly, the children. I quickly removed my educator hat and switched into mommy hat. I sighed in relief and comfort knowing my daughter will be in a preschool that can give her so many opportunities. I was so excited that my family is now. a part of the CJP. In Hillary Clinton’s book. It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, she discusses her vision for develop ing well balanced children. She talks about the importance of community and the impact of indi viduals and groups out side the family have on a child’s development. She believes in a more com munal approach along with strong positive role models can help in the successful development of children. Her philoso phy came to mind as I was introduced to Shalom Park. A good pre school will go beyond letting you in, it will encourage you to be a part of a community. It # $ Charlotte Jewish Preschool will encourage reaching out, giv ing back, and creating positive relationships with each other. The CJP is much more than a pre school, it is a piece of an entire concept that facilitates the idea “these are our children.” You might ask what makes a good preschool? I assure you if you ask that question to five dif ferent people you will receive five different answers. Qualified teachers? Small class sizes? The curriculum? How many “stars” you have? Well, it depends on your personal priorities and what aspirations you have for your (Continued on page 11) fSiWOtt Hanukkah Party Praro 22 Questions??? Contact Tair at 704.944.6759 Deadline for nominations is January lo, 2012. To nominate a student today, visit our website at ahahonorsociety.org or contact us at (336) 217-7074.
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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