I Am The Best Kindergarten Teacher Ever

(At Least My Students Think So)

By Emily Joslin

 

“Why didn’t you major in administration?” is the question many people asked me when I began the Masters program at Michigan State University (MSU). The answer for me was easy. Being an administrator was not one of my goals in earning my masters degree. In my original goal essay in my application to the Master of Arts in Education Program (MAED) at Michigan State I wrote about how I wanted to learn to better differentiate my teaching. Kindergarteners begin school on such different levels that it is important to differentiate instruction so that each student is challenged but not pushed past their frustration point. Only in differentiating instruction is it possible to reach each student and help each and every one of them reach their full potential. To simple state it, I wanted to be the best Kindergarten teacher ever.

 

I am now in my fifth year of teaching. I have learned that being the best Kindergarten teacher ever requires so much more than changing your lesson plans to match students. My students come from extremely diverse backgrounds. They need many different things, hence the need for differentiation. However, each and every one of my students needs to know that I love them. My methods of teaching have changed. I now know that to help each student want to reach their full potential I must establish a positive and thoughtful relationship with each one of them. This is its own kind of differentiation. For some students this means I ask about their baseball games or dance lessons. For some students this mean I make sure that they eat breakfast each day. For each and every one of my students it means that they don’t leave my classroom without me telling them that I love them. Each day when my students leave my room I stand at the door and give them a hug and tell them I love them. Sometimes it is “Great work today, I love you!” and some times it is “Next time we will work to make better choices, but even when you make bad choices remember I love you”.

 

While my overarching goal has not changed, I still want to be the best Kindergarten teacher ever, I have learned that it takes so many things to do, and often those things are completely different for each and every of the 50+ students I have each year. The MAED program has helped me gain a better understand of where my students are developmentally, and what I can do to help them reach their next step. Knowing how to recognize each developmental step has helped me expand my teaching ability in ways I never imagined. My students show an infinite amount of growth each year due to the fact that I know how to pinpoint what each student needs. My goals have grown along with my knowledge. I now understand that differentiation means adjusting everything, not just my morning centers, for each child. However, my goal to be the best Kindergarten teacher ever has not changed. Rick Riodan said in his book “The Red Pyramid” “Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need.” I will continue each year to strive to give each of my students what they need to be the best Kindergarteners ever.