Start the school year off right with all your questions about teaching preschool answered! I love teaching. I love teaching preschool, and I love teaching preschool teachers. Getting a chance to share knowledge about topics I am passionate about with groups of teachers is a joy. But my favorite part isn’t when I am on stage, my favorite part of facilitating teacher training is the in-between times: lunch discussions, chatting in the bathroom line, or after a session when a teacher leans in and says, “Hey, can I ask you a question?” That is when teachers open up and ask for help, thinking no one else needs this question answered. The thing is, the questions I get asked are not unique; they are everyday preschool teacher struggles and concerns.
Here are the 7 most common questions about teaching preschool I get:
1. What is your favorite place to get new ideas?
2. Which letter should I teach first?
3. Is it just me, or is behavior really getting harder to manage?
4. How can I fit STEM into an already packed day?
5. Should I be teaching handwriting?
6. Are sticker charts really that bad?
7. What do we need to know about the Science of Reading?
Here are my answers to these common preschool teacher questions:
- What is your favorite place to get new ideas?
This might seem like an obvious answer if you are reading this article, you already know all about my blog, which is packed with ideas. However, most teachers I train in person aren’t as familiar. I would also add, more and more, when I am sitting in my class trying to come up with one more fine motor or literacy activity, I more often than not, grab this book!
- Which letter should I start with?
The most meaningful. As you work with individual children, work on the letters in their names. As a class, look at what you will be learning and how to make the introduction of letters meaningful. Avoid introducing letters that make very similar sounds, have similar-sounding names, or shapes consecutively. Learn more about teaching letter recognition and letter sounds here.
- Is it just me, or is behavior really getting harder to manage?
It’s not just you. From my own survey of nearly 100 teachers, from the casual discussions, and even an Edweek research, teachers everywhere are reporting this. Remember that challenging behavior is a sign that needs aren’t being met. Clearly, needs have changed, and we need to shift too. I highly recommend taking this virtual workshop about social-emotional learning. I learned so much creating it, and the feedback from participants has been universally positive. It uses current research and is targeting teachers like us!
- How do I fit STEM into my day?
Play is a STEM activity. When children are engaged in free play, they are almost always using the same skills and working on developing an understanding of concepts we focus on in planned STEM activities. So make room for play and for more tips about teaching STEM and tricks to fit it into your day, read this wonderful guide.
- Should I be teaching handwriting?
That depends. Are your students ready for handwriting? Most preschoolers aren’t ready for more than the very basics. This is what you can do instead. If they are, keep it playful with games like this one. No preschooler should be doing worksheets trying to trace letters with no meaningful goal.
- Are sticker charts really that bad?
Yes. Sticker charts are that bad when we use them universally. Here are two great articles about them. One specifically about sticker charts and another about how using systems like sticker or behavior charts can do more harm than good. Also, I used them early in my teaching career, too; I’m not here to shame you or any teacher for trying a tool suggested to them, but when we know better, let’s do better.
- What do preschool teachers need to know about The Science of Reading?
The Science of Reading continues to be a hot topic, but the best way I can share what we need to do is to share this podcast, in which I chat with Vanessa Levin of PreK Pages in depth about what we need to do and keep doing in our pre-k and preschool classrooms. Another great podcast, Not Just Cute, by author and ECE expert Amanda Morgan, has an episode about this topic as well.
Do you need more questions about teaching preschool answered?
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Scarlet says
I still remember my first grade teacher used sticker charts and it made me feel so competitive towards the little girl who was always beating me. So agree, no good!