My goal is to provide a fun, safe and loving environment in which children will thrive socially, emotionally, and cognitively.  I strongly believe in John Dewey’s philosophy of progressive education which emphasizes hands on learning and the importance of critical thinking and social skills.

The Progressive philosophy says that children understand and retain more information by being active participants rather than passive bystanders.  Everyday I will practice this by integrating cognitive skills such as number awareness, pre-reading skills, shapes, colors, etc. into our daily activities of art, music, story time, drama and social studies.  By allowing children to learn math for example, through playing games or music, it gives them a more concrete understanding of what numbers are, while at the same time it is fun! Making learning fun for kids and encouraging their curiosity, helps to instill a life long love for learning.

Another important aspect of the progressive philosophy is that children are encouraged to use their critical thinking skills in order to solve problems for themselves.  One way to practice this is by asking the children open-ended questions which will facilitate a discussion where they will feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions, without fear of judgment or criticism from me or their peers.

This leads finally to the social and emotional component of the philosophy which strongly emphasizes the importance of good social skills. Being a good listener and being able to express yourself in a productive manner are very important skills to living a happy, emotionally stable life in our society.  By encouraging children to listen to and accept one another, while helping them to express their feelings and ideas in a way that others will listen, will be greatly advantageous to their future and the future of our society.