Pre-K Academy

Quality professional development is a high priority for Waco ISD and that was witnessed as 150 Waco ISD early childhood educators and EOAC/Head Start gathered to learn together from Conscious Discipline expert, Kim Jackson. Teachers have a powerful role in the formative years of some of our youngest community members and it takes commitment to be intentional with positivity around emotional management. Jackson reminded the audience, “What you focus on is what you get more of.” She encouraged the educators to take moments to breathe, find gratitude and make certain that they were in a positive frame of mind throughout the day stating that a healthy classroom begins with the emotional health of the person that is delivering the instruction. “Start every day with circle time and state the glows and grows. What is something that we are celebrating? What is an “oops” we had today? Practicing gratitude is a fast track to the executive state.” As I sat there taking in the curriculum presented, I considered that much of this could be applied to life outside of the classroom even with adults. We partnered with Waco ISD to host this on our campus at Baylor. As we all learned together, the backdrop outside of the windows was the Waco ISD administration building and the downtown Waco skyline - a reminder that we are neighbors.

As the day ended, a PreK teacher of 14 years shared, “The Pre-K Academy gets you ready to start the semester. Reminding us of the best classroom practices and learning new things.” Another teacher of 4 years shared, “The PreK Academy lays the foundational skills for Pre-K teachers so that they will have a successful year.” The past couple of years have challenged even the most seasoned teacher. The day ended with each teacher holding a candle - a physical reminder of their own internal light that is ignited to teach and impact this next generation. At Baylor, we are glad to take part in their semester launch and we look forward to this partnership for many years to come.