From Monday Memo: A Note To Teachers

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi

A teacher who read a preview of Monday Memo told me she wished the book was already published and that her director had the chance to read it. Her concern what that since she was “only a teacher”, she wasn’t able to make real change in her school.

Hogwash.
This memo is for you.

Dear Teacher,

You are one of the most important pieces of the preschool puzzle. You are the one re- sponsible for keeping a schedule, maintaining order, scaffolding learning and setting the tone of your classroom. You are the front line when it comes to the parents. If it weren’t for you, the directors would be giving tours of an empty school.

All of us deserve to work in a place that respects children and gives them the absolute best early childhood experience. If you feel your program needs some work, don’t back down or give up.

You have the right to work in an environment that reflects joy and learning.

You have the right to professional development that is specifically geared to you and your needs as a teacher.

You have the right to be seen as a competent teacher who is capable of making the right decisions for her students.

You have the right to have co-workers who are professional, collaborative and equally passionate about early childhood education.

However, before your fight, understand that with those rights come responsibilities. Before you point your finger at your director, take a moment and look at yourself.

You also have responsibilities.

You have the responsibility of making your classroom a space that reflects joy and learn- ing.

You have the responsibility to teaching children according to their individual needs.

You have the responsibility of seeing your children as competent and capable of making choices about their interests.

You have the responsibility to seek professional development to help you become a teacher who can deliver numbers 1-3.

You have the responsibility to be a co-worker who is professional, collaborative and equally passionate about early childhood education.

You should have a vision of excellent early childhood education.  (If you don’t, email me. You can borrow mine until you create your own.)

Decide now to create the best possible classroom you can. Read everything you can, find like minded people, ask questions, go to conferences, join ECE lists serves, but don’t, under any circumstance, allow yourself to do less than what you know is right for children just because your director isn’t up to speed yet.

Decide now that you don’t need all new materials, better carpets, sleeker furniture and smart boards before you can have a wonderful program.

Decide now to avoid excuses like “I can’t do this until my coworkers do.” Stop waiting for others to do what’s right for children.

Decide now to become an excellent teacher. We are counting on you. 

With utmost respect,

DJ Schneider Jensen 

Don't Change Your Plan, Change Your Marketing!

My new book, Monday Memo: Creating Change in a Early Childhood a Education, One Message at a Time, (www.rockingrventures.com), is written in memos: to teachers, parents, friends, etc. Below is an except, written to a fellow director.  I wonder if you see yourself in this message?  

September 29 

Dear Beth,

I feel so badly about the challenges at your school. Whenever there’s change, there’s fear and anxiety. Your staff and families are not upset at you; they are simply concerned about the unknown and need more information.

You told me that the parents expect academic results. My parents here have that same concern. All parents want what is best for their child. My response? Give them the best. Show the parents academic results. Document what the children learn when they collaborate on a project. Identify the counting, sorting and one-to-one correspondence, addition and other math skills they learn as they play grocery store. Make sure parents understand that the teachers also have academic goals for the children, and organize the environment with those goals in mind. Don’t change your plan, Beth. Change your marketing.

Share stories of success. Use successes to show parents not only WHAT the child learned but HOW the child learned. For example, don’t let a teacher send home Bobby’s blueprint of an airport without an explanation. Have her explain that while he was drawing it he was retelling the story of how he and his mom were snowed in at the airport for an entire day. Connect the memory to the drawing, and point out that he labeled all the restaurants and the bathrooms. Explain that labeling is graphic representation, a precursor to writing.

Beth, you know as well as I do that running a school has its ups and downs. Downs happen when we forget that our teachers and parents are as valuable as our children, and we take them for granted or view them as the enemy. Stay connected with your teachers. Meet with parents on a regular basis. You will win this school, I assure you. Go Beth!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's a Book!

After 28  months, my new book Monday Memo: Creating Change in Early Childhood Education, One Message at a Time, is finally complete!  And man, this thing is really cool!

My wonderful publisher, Rocking R Ventures has charged me with the challenge of posting excerpts from the book on a regular basis.  Today I start with the cover.  Maybe tomorrow you'll get the acknowledgements. :)
 

Monday Memo is the story of a year in the life of a preschool director as she struggles to move her new school from their “teacher-directed-thirty-minute-circle-time-everybody-listen-do-as-I-say-letter-of-the-week-craft-and-worksheet” approach to one that uses developmentally appropriate practice and views the child  as competent and capable.  The  challenges she faces are the same as yours: teachers who are not on board, parents who are trying to understand the change, and, of course, the typical day to day firefighting just to keep her school running.   Written solely in letters: to the teachers, the parents, friends and family, Monday Memo offers  insight into a director’s struggles, and models responses that foster change.  Fun and relevant...You’ll refer to this book over and over .

Pretty cool, right?  Told ya!

Do me a favor and share this post with a friend.  Let's make Monday Memo              so popular that Ellen DeGeneres has no choice but to bring me on her show.  I've been practicing my dance moves all summer for this.   I'm ready!