Child's Day Out Teacher

My son attended PNS years ago. Right away, I felt that we were in the right place! This is a very supportive, family-friendly community. It has been my privilege to continue here as a teacher in the CDO, Twos, and Threes classes.

The play-based curriculum at PNS makes sense to young children. Every day we play inside and outside, pretend, create, read, sing, and problem-solve. There are friends. There are choices. Toys and materials are rotated so that there is always something new and interesting to do. This is a curriculum for everyone — it adjusts to fit the child, instead of the other way around.

Before staying home with my children for several years, I was a teacher and specialist in Arlington and Alexandria, working with English as a Second Language and preschool students. What I valued most was helping newcomers feel comfortable and safe in a new environment. This is my goal as a preschool teacher, too: to ensure that my students feel comfortable and safe enough to learn and enjoy preschool.

I have a BS in Linguistics and an MS in Applied Linguistics, both from Georgetown University; I studied language acquisition and development, which plays a big role in early childhood classes. In addition to encouraging children to express themselves with words, I love sharing well-written picture books with photos and beautiful illustrations, leading movement and music activities, taking nature walks, and helping children follow their natural curiosity to examine, explore, discuss, and experiment. I'm also the professional development administrator on the board of the Potomac Association of Cooperative Teachers. I am always learning along with my students!