Let's Appreciate Our Teachers

“Mommy, what is that?” “Mommy, what is her name?” “Mommy, how does that do?

My almost 3 1/2 year old daughter always asks me questions. No matter what I am doing or where we are, she wants to know something. I could get annoyed and feel that she is interrupting what I am doing, but I don't. I always encourage her to ask what ever she wants to, when she wants to. Asking questions shows that she is “curious” about the world she lives in. I love that she loves to learn. When she stops asking questions, she stops learning.

The word “curiosity,” according to Wikipedia, comes from Latin curiosus "careful, diligent, curious," akin to cura "care"). It's an emotion that causes a drive to know new things, thus causing learning. I want her to have a passion for learning. It's a tool that can always be used to help her to be successful now and later in life.

Growing up, I learned to always ask questions like why. For example, in my high school and college careers, when our assignment was to write an essay of 500 words or more, I would sometimes struggle to meet the required quota. Then, I was given some great advice from my dad that has stayed with me for a long time. He said “just ask why.” I could further develop the meat of the essay and create a more engaging and thorough piece. Well, I have used that for many years, practically every day. It was great advice.

Learning and education drive our economies. If there is a fear of the unknown, change will not occur. Things would stay the same. The love of learning starts as young as an infant when a baby reaches for something or even puts it in their mouth. That is their way of learning.

Something can be learned in everything we do and at every age. It continues to grow in preschool and years beyond. Our preschool teachers can help to grow your child's interest in learning and help it to become a valuable resource in their future.

Let's recognize our passionate and engaging teachers for what they give to our kids. This is “National Teacher Appreciation Week”. Just say thank you.