An Open Letter To Preschool Teachers

Being an Early Years educator carries significant responsibility. Parents who entrust their children to teachers have the aspirations, hopes, and desires that these teachers will provide both nurturing and challenging learning environments and experiences. Under the watchful eye of these expectations, teaching for success in classrooms filled with energetic little children requires patience, dedication, and engaging activities to guide and hold the child’s attention, turning natural curiosity into learning. This learning journey, both for teachers in their practice and learners themselves can be a deeply rewarding one. Indeed, we have met many teachers who describe their experiences of teaching in just this way as they feel empowered to inspire, guide, and see children reach their full potential as purposeful lifelong learners.

As a teacher, you play a vital role to achieve this vision. We believe strongly that together, in partnership with parents and the wider community, we can nurture purposeful learners recognizing the hope and trust that is placed on us.

Our world is constantly changing and we are challenged as a global society by increasingly interconnected threats and opportunities. In this regard, we actively support the development of young people, wholesome of character, who can demonstrate resilience, empathy with others, and feel that they have agency to act. We take our role in this, as your partner in teaching and learning, to heart. We recognize and acknowledge that your school and community are shaped by values and culture. These things matter and they shape expectations. How outcomes are defined, what counts as excellence, and how children are supported and encouraged in their journey as independent and aware learners is fundamental to us in helping you to help them finding their voice in our world. But amongst the serious side of things, playful learning should be lively and fun. Each child brings their gifts and talents to the joyous mix and we want them to remain happy, engaged, and undaunted whilst using new tools to respectfully appreciate and learn about the world around them. We want your teaching and their learning to be special as we learn together with laughter.