Preschool Teacher Personal Statement

I am blessed to have been in the early childhood education field for over 17 years. I have been a mentor teacher; worked collaboratively in several start up projects; co-developed learning communities with family child care providers; and, coached preschools teachers in different capacities. As a result of these experiences, I have gained a good understanding of adult learners. I am very conscious of individual learning styles, have the keen ability to meet teachers where they are professionally and personally, and skillfully empower teachers as they take risks in their own growth process. The success of others is truly my professional reward and passion.

When I started my career in early childhood education, I was fortunate to be mentored by a caring, supportive, and knowledgeable person who skillfully guided me to be the best preschool teacher I could be in the classroom. Having this experience, I knew I wanted to have the opportunity to provide teachers with the same sensitive, intentional, support as they grow and learn to enhance the quality of care they provide the children. I had my first experience mentoring teachers when I was given the opportunity to mentor preschool teachers in my PreK classroom. This

As I facilitated the professional learning communities, I was able to empower the teachers to create a safe, supportive environment, encouraged them to take leadership of the group, and provided a forum for creativity and growth. I found that many of my skills used for coaching were valuable in creating a safe learning community. For example, building trust and positive relationships is key for teachers to feel safe to share experiences and ideas. In addition, I empowered the teachers to define what the vision for their group would be, become leaders of the group, and generate topics to promote