Miss Jean starts every day of home learning with Morning Group time, in which she introduces the day’s activities to the students, pausing as she would in person to give the little ones a chance to answer her questions from afar. Because much of the instruction is in video format, families are able to log on and view as their various schedules allow.
Multiple times throughout the day, Miss Jean will pop in virtually to read picture books or use classroom learning materials to teach letter sounds, letter formation, or basic math skills. Miss Jean notes, “Science has been especially fun and interactive as the classes study of the life cycle of a Painted Lady Butterfly. I had some painted lady caterpillars delivered to my home, so every day we have been checking on them at group time and they have now emerged as butterflies.” Students are invited to sign up for Lunch with Miss Jean, which is live with the aid of Google Meet.
Ms. Jean comments on these intentional connections, “A young child’s formation is so dependent on personal interaction. I am trying to recreate that nurturing environment as best as we can from afar. Our technology tools have helped bridge the distance, but it certainly cannot replace completely the in-person interaction. Parents have been wonderful partners. Together, we continue to make progress in preparing our preschool students for the next step into Kindergarten.”