The philosophy of a three-year-old child is " I see it. I want it. It's mine!" It might be cute to see that attitude displayed from a young toddler (shows independence and determination) but it brings problems for a three year old.
One of the main goals for me, as an educator, is to teach my young students to share, appreciate, and respect the adults and their peers around. I will help them shift from "it's mine" mind set to "she/he can have it". It might take a whole school year to achieve that goal but at the end of it all the efforts are well worth it.
The K10 students will move onto the four-year-classroom armed with confidence and ability to take care of themselves and help others as well. Their simple way of thinking will switch to critical thinking which will serve them well all through their lives.
Here is a short list of the K10 goals in the social-emotional aspect which should be achieved by the end of the school year:
- Playing with peers in a civil way -- using the proper words to negotiate a toy or space
- Respecting all human beings as well as animals
- Being able to express their feelings
- Being able to listen to their friends and respect their feelings
- Being able to listen without interrupting
- Being able to answer questions from adults and peers
- Being able to help an adult or friend
- Being able to participate in a group activity
- Being able to patiently wait their turn
- Willingly to follow the classroom rules such as sitting on the rug for a certain period of time, listening to a book patiently or sharing
K10 academic goals are as follows:
- Counting to 10 in route
- Counting 5 object using one-on-one correspondence
- Recognizing and naming the main shapes -- triangle, square, rectangle, and circle
- Being able to complete an ABA pattern
- Recognizing and naming the primary colors -- red, blue, yellow
- Coloring in line which is a prerequisite for writing
- Acquiring the tripod grasp for holding a crayon or a short marker
- Being able to recognize their names in small print
- Being able to trace their names written in capital letters
- Being able to use scissors and cut along a straight line
- Being able to draw a person with face and facial features, body, arms and hands, legs and feet
- Being able to attentively listen to a story line
- Being able to convey a short story
- Being able to answer WH questions such as " What did the first pig build his house of?", " What animal got first inside the Mitten?" or "Where did the puppy hide?"
All the goals above are just a small portion of a vigorous preschool program which prepares the young children successfully compete in the highly academic classrooms through the state of California.
The 2022-2023 school year is unconventional and challenging. Still, it gives us the opportunity for working on reinforcing specific skills which will keep students and classroom staff healthy and well.
Happy learning!