Blaise Laing, M.Ed.
Children are beautiful and unique individuals that develop through nature and nurture. Trust is very important when working with children. Actions and words should be empowering to children, give children the ability to see that their needs are going to be met and that they can trust. Teachers have empathy, non-judgment, respect for individuality, and respect for emotions with children. Each individual child has the right to feel safe in their body, safe in their mind and safe in their heart.
As a teacher, my role is to guide, be an active listener, create essential learning experiences, understand learning types and cultivate learning environments, and most importantly see that child needs are just as, if not more important than the teacher’s needs. I am motivated to create strong relationships with children that help to prevent undesired behaviors through identifying who the children are, being caring, cultivating emotionally safe environments through enrichment, and responding to the needs of children through hands-on and multi-learning activities.
For myself, being a teacher has provided me with many opportunities where I can give positive support to children of all backgrounds. I share my own passion for life with the children I work with, whether it is a trip to Williams Woods to look for living creatures, playing Hey Mr. Fox, coloring, finger plays, reading stories, forecasting the weather, or teaching them about musical instruments in Peter and the Wolf. I feel that children are their own best learning tools. They have such curiosity about the world and allowing children to develop their own ideas and build projects around thought processes helps show development, as well as helps parents see the abilities that their child has and connect parents with learning. Child-center and Place-based curriculum are important in teaching child individuality, problem solving skills, language skills, development of physical and cognitive self, as well as building confidence in learning.
Mathematics can be very fun! I love math and find various ways to explore math with children through the outside and inside learning environment. Play is an important element when creating mathematical learning for preschool. This can be done throughout the whole classroom in art projects, dramatic play, block play and play with various manipulative toys such as puzzles, dice, sorting games, etc. Utilizing the outdoors is extremely important to the mathematical development. Looking at various numbers such as on signs, leaves, birds, flowers, and measurement of plants through gardening are extremely fun and beneficial for all children.
(Mathematics that can be done through play: Data Representation, Probability, Number Operations, Geometry, Place Value, Spatial Relations, Measurement, Comparison, Problem Solving, Classifying, Counting , Patterns) Also, I involve the use of the calendar during circle time to help support counting and patterns on a daily basis.
Literacy develops with a love of books. I am an avid reader and have an extensive children's library in my classroom. Tubs and tubs of books for any topic you could possibly imagine. Phonological awareness begins with modeling appropriate concepts. Making sure that everything is labeled with appropriate letters and big enough for children to see (shelves, art supplies, dress up and other furniture, children’s names, teacher names, etc). Reading aloud is very important for developing the understanding of concepts of print and content connection discussions during circle time. Also, (my favorite too) finger plays are an amazing way to help with rhyming, sequencing, pronunciation, and content connections. Language development occurs through reading aloud, singing songs, modeling appropriate language with children and having open discussions throughout the day. Learning letters and letter sounds are incorporated through circle time, art projects, science projects, play, mathematics, and literacy.
I love science and I am truly happy to live in Vermont, where we can be scientists 365 days of the year. Rain, shine, snow, you name it, there is something out there to experience. I love working on a weather log, weekly science experiments with science journals, and playing outdoors and exploring our natural environment. Seasonal changes are always fun to explore and important to our climate, community and culture. As well as gardening and learning about the senses. I also enjoy exploration of various life cycles.
Social development is one of the most crucial/if not the reason for preschool. Sharing, cooperation, self-help skills, community connections, cultural studies are all important and make us who we are. Ways that social development is incorporated into my classroom is through classroom routines, job responsibilities, cooperative classroom rules where children and teachers mutually agree and respect each other, the environment and friends. Also important to incorporate community, family units, cultural units, and learning about the human body. Super Friends is a program that I use to help build respect and cooperation with peers. Play is by far social development’s ace. Children learn so much from play and through play, teachers and parents learn from the children. Allowing children enough time to play and dive into their ideas helps to open doors to enthusiastic learners, as well as open the door for educators to find new ways of learning and gearing learning towards the interest of children. In play children practice role playing, problem solving, interacting with peers, communication, and building upon prior knowledge.
Children of all learning styles are incorporated into the classroom. As learning takes place, modifications may need to be made. As a teacher, I have found that I need to be flexible and that 90% of the time things do not go as planned and that backup comes in handy. Taking the time to write down goals for each student and preparing materials for individual needs in important and key to success for all students.
Learning about the human body is fun and can be very exciting for young children. Discussions about nutrition, hygiene and the importance of physical movement is all involved throughout various parts of the day. Insuring that toileting is properly done and hand washing takes place. Outdoor play is very important and I believe there is never bad weather, only bad clothing! Learning self-control and about body awareness is an integral part of the physical development curriculum. I have three boys, my eldest is 14 and he has ADHD/Combined Type. Learning self-control took a lot of patience for both myself and my eldest son. My middle son who is 10 years old has a different type of ADHD and he has brought new insights into learning self-control. Using yoga and other physical games are important for teaching self-control and having ways that children can decompress through large gross motor movement helps.
I use Mat Man and Handwriting Without Tears. I have created individual Mat Man packets for kids to use throughout the year, which they are able to bring home when the school year is over. Every child has a writing book, where we practice Mat Man and HWT techniques, as well as step-by-step drawings, that help to build fine motor skills. This year we are beginning to incorporate elements of early literacy.
Letting children express themselves through creativity is one of the most influential ways of learning. I believe in allowing children to create independently while facilitating by documenting their ideas and gathering their supplies. Dance, art, music, projects, and dramatic play are always available!
When I am not at school I enjoy being outdoors and spending time with my children Monarch (19), Dallas (15), Gaige (11) and Pike (8).