“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:34-35
There are approximately 75 children that come to school at RCPC every day. What an amazing ministry of the church to provide a safe place for these precious children to grown, learn, be loved, and share their love. Our preschool‘s curriculum is a combination of a learn through academic and play approach. We feel strongly that play is a vital way children learn…Children will also learn and develop best when they feel loved, safe, and have positive relationships with their teachers and peers…that is not just an opinion…its’s science!
When teachers go through training or new families come in to learn about our school, I will always share that we want our students to feel the love of their teachers, classmates, and God as they walk the halls, play with their toys, grow socially and emotionally and build their early literacy and math skills.
One way we try to teach our students to love one another and treat each other with kindness is by being role models that are kind, loving, and respectful to each other. Over the past few years, emphasis has been taken off of “GOOD” behaviors versus “BAD.” Trying to be “good” for maybe the right reasons, but resulting in wrong behaviors or motivations, can happen rather easily, even in preschool. For example, cleaning up the classroom may start off as playful and fun. However, there might be a child who gets very frustrated if another friend is not cleaning up the right way, fast enough, or has perhaps chosen not to clean up at all (can you imagine a two year old who doesn’t want to clean up and just wants to keep playing…shocking, right?) Our first friend may resort to grabbing the toy out of our 2nd friend’s hand, or even pushing them in order to take the toy and clean it up, because cleaning up is the RIGHT thing to do. The child feels justified in their behavior, because, the cleanup song was on, and “everyone” knows, when the cleanup song is on, it means we clean up….AT ALL COSTS!
At these moments, we as teachers, try to role model how to be kind to each other, love each other and focus on ourselves versus judging someone else’s actions. What a great lesson not just for preschoolers, but for adults. Love one another, be kind, don’t judge. Jesus proclaims. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
-Betsy Prillaman