Recently a fellow preschool/pre-k colleague of mine was out. As subs are not readily available and she does not consistently have an aide we took her class in. So here starts the morning with about 35 hungry three year olds in my classroom. I quickly began to realize that not only did the change to their routine shock them...they had NO idea what to do or how to acclimate.
In my classroom while I teach 3's they have a pretty structured idea of what the daily schedule is and at any specific time, especially the morning time, they are capable of telling you what they should be doing. Although they are not always DOING what they should be they atlas know, and that is reassuring.
These children ran around my classroom, spilled food, spilled milk, pulled toys off the shelf, ripped books, and the list goes on...In addition they were not able to do anything for themselves or even willing try. I am not delusional to think they are completely self-sufficient but I have the expectation of my students that they try.
My students come in, put their things away, sign in, eat breakfast, answer the question of the day, and sit down on the carpet with a book from the library and this is independent! Myself and my aide are there to intervene and talk to our friends and generally start the day off in a positive light. This interaction made me realize what I already know, for early childhood students it is key to instill routines from the very beginning of the school year and give them increasingly higher expectations as you go along they will only rise to meet them.
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