Last Tuesday was the first day of school for some of our students.  The Tiny Titans preschool opened for the first day.  There are eleven preschoolers in the class, ages 3 to 5.  The preschoolers are not the only new arrivals.  This is the first year for Ms. Woodward, the Child Development I-IV teacher and Tiny Titans preschool director.  She transferred here from Brunswick Elementary School where she was a teacher for grades 3 and 5.  Ms. Woodward says that for this year she is very excited to work with both high school students and preschoolers.

The preschool is a part of the Child Development I-IV courses.  To get a feel for education, students in CD I-IV will plan lessons and teach the preschoolers on a rotating weekly basis.  The high school students are separated into teach groups of about 6 or 7 people and are assigned a day of the week to teach on.  Every week the high school students must write and teach a lesson based around one of the weekly themes, such as the letter A, the number 1, or the color green.  They also do Independent Study out of the text book to learn more about child development theorists and developmental stages.  Students also have a day in the classroom to sit and observe a certain student’s development.

The preschool gets some benefits that you would not find in other institutions.  There is an adult to child ratio of 1:2 because of the popularity of the class, which means individualized attention for the children.  There are also resources that the Tiny Titans preschool receives by being inside of Tuscarora High School.  Students can go on “field trips” around the school to get special lessons that wouldn’t be available at other places.  “These include lessons taking place in the ceramics room, art room, theater, and gymnasium. We have the assistance of professionals in those fields, which are the high school teachers willing to assist us,” says Ms. Woodward.

Both groups of students in the class are able to learn so much this year.  High school students learn if Child Development and Education are fields they would be interested in pursuing.  Preschool students learn valuable life skills and lessons to further their education.  So let’s welcome the Tiny Titans and wish them a good school year.