Toni Jacques

What do you teach at B’nai Shalom?
I am the Preschool 3/4 Lead Teacher and Kids’ Care Teacher.

Why do you teach?
I teach preschool age children because Early Childhood teachers have the privilege of exposing children and their families to their first interaction in their educational journey.  I love the experience of being a role model and a facilitator to a young child.  I savor the opportunity to give a young child the ability to learn through play in their day-to-day interactions.  Being a teacher to a young child is very fulfilling.

Why do you teach at B’nai Shalom? 
I choose to teach at B’nai Shalom because we as teachers are encouraged to be creative.  We are encouraged to be open-minded.  The leaders and parents of our school are positive and very hands-on.  Teachers are truly supported.

What do you want students to get from having known you?
I want children to experience their creative side.  I want children to explore what is relevant to their lives, be it Judaism, dancing, singing, building blocks, reading or painting.  I want them to have fun and feel good about him or herself.

What is the most important life lesson students will learn in your class?  
As a preschool teacher, I want children to learn the life lessons of friendship and compassion. I want my students to learn to remove obstacles and see other friends’ points of view and to believe that there is beauty in everything.

What is the most important life lesson you have learned from your students?  
The most important life lesson that I have learned from a preschool child is that there is always enough time to play and have a silly, fun time.  We should not worry about the little things. Enjoy today, tomorrow will come eventually.

How do you teach to the way a child learns?  
I teach wherever the children are developmentally.  I spend quality time with each child individually so that I get to know what interests them and turn everything into a learning opportunity.

What types of professional development have you completed in the past year?   
This past spring, I completed my Early Childhood Administrative Certificate.  I also completed a Curriculum Planning Course and an Educational Technology Course for Early Childhood. I recently attended an Early Educators Conference focusing on different activities to do with children throughout the day.

In what ways do you collaborate with other teachers?  
My preschool co-workers are very knowledgeable and talented.  We are fortunate enough to be able to communicate daily about our day and our lessons. Our preschool team meets monthly to discuss a variety of Early Childhood topics. We have such a strong, dedicated team!