Meet Miss Jeanine
One of Jeanine's favorite quotes is from the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. One of the lines reads, "Be Aware of Wonder". She strongly believes that children, especially of preschool age, are extremely aware of the world around them, and are constantly filled with wonder by the things they see, touch, hear, and smell. As a teacher, she hopes to help kids find that wonder through play, socialization, inquiry, experimentation, and exciting guided learning activities. Miss Jeanine has both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from the University of Oregon. She taught all grade levels in several schools in Lane County while studying at the University and as a substitute teacher before opening and running the Eugene location of The Strawberry Patch Preschool from 2010-2016. On top of both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees, Jeanine also holds an English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) degree. Language, multicultural education, and diversity are key aspects of her training and she strives to help students appreciate and find interest in the differences in those around them. Through pictures, literature choices, and daily activities students will be exposed to different cultures, traditions, hobbies, foods, and environments! Both Spanish and American Sign Language will be incorporated into the school day whenever possible. After teaching in classrooms with large groups of students, Jeanine hopes to emphasize the importance of small-group, community-based learning experiences with young children at The Strawberry Patch. There will always be groups of ten or less students, providing tons of time for individual play, group-play, and one-on-one time with Jeanine for every child! Several of Jeanine's hobbies include: Oil Painting, Argentine Tango, Theater, Gardening, and Baking, and being the mama to two fluffy dogs named Cato and Zoë! She hopes to blend her own passions with those of her students to create meaningful, fun, and inquiry-based learning for everyone each day.
Jeanine's guidance Policy
I am highly trained in a classroom management program called Positive Behavior Supports. I have found that this program does a fantastic job of teaching children school expectations, building positive-self esteem, teaching children to monitor their own behavior, and pre-correcting to prevent disruptive behaviors before they happen. This program is based on positive-reinforcement, and never uses any hands-on (spanking, corporal punishment) or take-away (withholding snacks,toys,activities, etc) punishments.
I will be using the following techniques:
1. Teach/Model: I will take the time to teach and model expected behaviors and use fun role-play games to make sure children understand!
2. Autonomy: We will have friendship/community agreements that we make as a group, so the children will help come up with some of our school rules. They really enjoy this!
3. Pre-Correction: Clearly stated behavior expectations for all activities before activity.
4. Positive reinforcement: Focus on/Recognize the positives not the negatives. Recognize and use specific praise to compliment children who are following directions/community agreements.
5.Encourage self-management: I will encourage students to work out problems using their own words. This helps them to build their own problem-solving skills, communicate with each other, be respectful, and be respected by their peers. If children are still developing their ability to problem-solve using words, I will always be there to support them in communicating their feelings.
6. Ask "why": Sometimes kids do things for reasons that make sense to them, even if others do not understand. I will always ask a child why they did something so I can help them build new strategies.
7. A no "because I said so" policy : I will always explain why children can’t do something. This helps them understand. If I don’t have a good reason to give, it shouldn’t be a school rule.
8.Clear, quick responses: If I need to guide and/or discipline a child my response will be immediate. It will be kind, respectful, and firm.
9. Guidance: If a child has constant disruptive behavior I will work to find the purpose of the behavior, the settings it occurs in, and the triggers for the behavior. From these I can find a way to help the child have fun in a way that is safe and respectful towards others.
My goal is to help the children at The Strawberry Patch develop self-control, positive self-esteem, and respect for others. I will have clear boundaries to help keep kids happy, safe, and learning while at school!
