Putting it all together

Ive been working with children since I was sixteen. I have always had an amazing connection with children that makes my work and my personal life blend so well that the lines between them are indistinguishable. I love teaching (whether that be in the classroom or with my own daughter) more then anything I have ever done. Coming up with a creative idea that engages the classroom, or that solves a problem in the classroom gets me overwhelmed with excitement. That excitement perpetuates the children's love of learning and the cycle continues. During my first few years of working in a classroom environment I was able to put teachers into 2 different categories. There were teachers who taught for the same reasons as I had mentioned above, and there were people who worked with children because they hadn't found anything else yet that brought them the same kind of enjoyment as I mentioned above. This created a huge divide in my eyes because when you truly LOVE what you are doing everyone can see the difference. Working with people that don't have a connection to teaching and learning becomes very frustrating for everyone involved, and consequently, everyone suffers. Throughout the years, by leaving an environment where this huge divide was evident and coming to an in home preschool where myself and another women with parallel experiences were able to work together, I began molding my teaching style. I came across the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Learning and fell in love all over again. When I had my daughter in 2004 I opened an in home of my own where I could put the philosophies that I was learning into practice. In November of 2007, I expanded my business and opened an Early Learning Center where I needed to hire teachers to work with me. I focused on finding teachers with the same mindset who absolutely loved children. Together we are setting up classrooms where creativity and learning are everywhere. My greatest challenge is trying to mentor teachers and find a balance between getting the classrooms and curriculum to perpetually improve without nagging or putting too much pressure on the teachers. It is an ongoing difficulty for me because although I have a vision for my school and classrooms that I can feel and understand personally, trying to convey these ideas and ways of teaching with my co-workers continues to disappoint me. This has little to do with the capabilities of my teachers and much more to do with my deficient communication skills. I want to have a place to continue to document things as I learn what works well as well as what has failed miserably. And that's how I ended up here... “Almost anything can become a learning experience if there is enough caring involved.”~ Mary MacCracken