I was in California this week and I had the opportunity to help in my granddaughter's kindergarten class and my grandson's preschool class. Both experiences were delightful for me. Distance keeps me from seeing these grandchildren as often as I would like, so it was a special treat. At preschool, the letter of the week was "P." Seth was thrilled to have me attend school and be his very own "P" word. He calls me Papa. The experience reminded me about the many different ways that early childhood teachers try to teach basic skills. Oh, and we also went on a field trip...to Papa Murphy's Pizza Parlor...p...p...p!

It is freezing cold here in Utah. Much colder than normal winter temperatures. I braved the cold and took my granddaughters out to lunch today. There is nothing that warms you up faster than spending time with a 5 year-old and a 2 1/2 year-old. We had a delightful lunch. Wouldn't life be grand if all you had to worry about was whether to take your Lion King book or your Dora book with you to lunch. Every person should have spaghetti and cheese sandwiches with preschoolers on a regular basis.

I know, I know, we are all sick of hearing about resolutions year after year, but I have one suggestion this year. During my years as a kindergarten teacher, I made a resolution one January to find out another piece of information about early childhood and how children learn. It became an annual resolution to help me sharpen my skills as a teacher. There is so much new information coming out each year, good teachers try to update their teaching methods with the latest research. I found that making this resolution pushed me to meet the needs of each new group of children. I have always believed that thinking you can teach the same way with the same materials to different groups of children is ineffective. Our teaching strategies must continue to grow as our students continue to change. Make a resolution to improve your teaching skills in 2007.