At Joystar we strive to help every student leave our Kindergarten curious, independent, and understanding. What exactly do we mean by those values?
Curious
"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious. – Albert Einstein
What is it?
To be curious is to be eager to know or learn something.. When a student asks what noise they heard from outside, she is being curious. When a student asks why the air is dirty, he is being curious. Even when a very young chews on a book, she is being curious. Moments of curiosity are invitations for a teacher to teach, and at Joystar we cherish those moments.
Why should we encourage students to be curious?
Nobel Prize winner Herbet Simon said that, “The meaning of ‘knowing’ has shifted from being able to remember and repeat information to being able to find and use it.” Children come to kindergarten naturally curious about the world around them, and we believe that if we can protect that curiosity while guiding students through our curriculum, they will not only succeed academically at our school but also continue to succeed in the next chapters of their lives.
How do we nurture a student's curiosity?
We value teachers who believe that understanding their students is vital to good teaching. Providing empathetic teachers with clear developmental benchmarks along with academic literature on early childhood education ensures that when planning, teachers choose and create activities that are not only aligned with the students' interests and abilities, but also focus on helping students overcome daily life challenges which provides them with more autonomy. Through proper planning and respect of student's inquiries, we foster our student's curiosity.
Independent
“We do not stop to think that the child who does not do, does not know how to do.” - Montessori
What is it?
To be independent is to be self-reliant and dependable, to understand oneself, to be confident in one’s own opinions, and to pursue what one wants while respecting others. At a kindergarten, independent children can complete daily life chores like putting on and taking off clothing by themselves. They also are accustomed to making choices by themselves and feel confident enough to express their opinions to their teacher even if they disagree with the teacher.
Why should we encourage students to be independent?
Understanding and pursuing goals important to you is as crucial to children as it is to adults. For our very young students, completing age-appropriate activities by themselves (e.g. feeding themselves, putting on their own clothes) leads to feelings of accomplishment and better understanding of basic academic concepts. Being independent requires students to learn how to self-regulate, and the ability to control one’s emotions leads to the capacity to plan. As students get older, showing that they can dependably follow rules while confidently voicing their opinions allows students to have the freedom to learn what interests them and succeed.
How do we help our students become independent?