Monday, May 8th through Friday, May 12th is National Teacher Appreciation Week! It is the week that parents all over acknowledge and appreciate the impact that teachers have on their young ones each year. Teachers play a vital role in society and make an impact to help form and develop the minds of those that will become the future. A teacher’s impact on a young mind goes far deeper than simply keeping them occupied for eight hours a day.

At Children’s Lighthouse, our teachers’ impact goes far beyond keeping the classroom running smoothly. Teachers continue their own learning through professional development to make sure that they are equipped and up to date on the most current research and information to help guide your child’s learning. Engaging lesson plans drive the learning each day to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to develop their creativity and critical thinking skills through hands-on, age-appropriate activities.

Teachers play a crucial role in the development of young minds. Here are some of the benefits of having skilled and dedicated teachers at Children’s Lighthouse:

• Positive Relationships- Learning is all about relationships. Teachers make it a priority to teach the individual child and not just teach a topic by building a one-on-one relationship with each child. Knowing your child helps inspire creativity and instill a love for learning in a way that will carry the child into the future.
• Development of Social/Emotional Skills- Teachers discuss and model the socio-emotional skills necessary to becoming a functioning member of society. Each month, the teachers implement curriculum activities and lessons focused on a specific character value. Lessons are created to be engaging and fun but also help instill positive interactions like kindness, respect, forgiveness, and gratitude. The goal is not to teach children to mimic adults and answer questions correctly but to mold young hearts into caring about their role in making this world a better place.
• Development of Cognitive Skills- Teachers help to build a foundation for all future learning. Hands-on activities are created and implemented daily by teachers to allow children to explore the world around them and learn through discovery. The goal of our classrooms is not to check off concepts but for teachers to foster a passion for inquiry and a love of learning in the children in their classrooms.
• Development of Life and Self-help Skills- Teachers teach life skills daily to young children. Putting on shoes, zipping up a jacket, washing hands, and throwing away your trash are all self-help skills that young children must learn. Teachers support all the life skills young children need to help them become self-sufficient and independent as they prepare for kindergarten.

These are just some of the daily benefits and positive impacts that the dedicated teachers at Children’s Lighthouse make daily on the young hearts and minds of the children in their classroom. Remember to thank a teacher during National Teacher Appreciation Week for all they have done and are doing to impact the lives of children!