Get to Know Tonee Lopez
Standing with Arizona early childhood educators at my first annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. November 2018, Washington, DC.
Education
AA in Early Childhood. Will begin work on my Bachelors degree fall of 2018.
Why I like working here
It is a very safe and pleasant work environment. The staff feel like family. I love coming to work each day and knowing I can gear my teaching to my type of style and being with the amazing staff and bubbly children.
Why my work is important to me
As a preschool teacher I am setting up the stage for their whole academic career. These little minds will be our future and giving them the building blocks to succeed through their lives is such an amazing feeling.
Favorite classroom activity
Center time is my favorite because it’s the chance you get to see hands on all the knowledge in their brains. You also get to teach them new concepts and then allow them to try them out for themselves.
Favorite Children’s Book
Pete the Cat: “I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin. It’s a fun and engaging book that gets children excited for reading. You sing a song throughout the whole book that is fun and catchy and makes the children excited to keep reading.
Why I love the mud kitchen
It’s a great brain break during the day! Our mud kitchen allows children to explore outdoors and use their endless imaginations to play creatively.
What children have taught you
Patience, to be myself, and that everyone needs fun and laughter in life.
Favorite cooking project
I love to do taste tests with my children. It is a great way to introduce them to new foods they have never tasted before. Talking about the experiences is a great opportunity for social interaction among friends.
Favorite center
The art area. I love to encourage children to let their creativity flow! Coloring is still one of my favorite activities — so fun and relaxing.
What I’ve learned from my colleagues
I was an assistant for 6 years before becoming a lead teacher. I’ve had the opportunity to work with 4-5 different teachers and different age groups. The teachers have passed on plenty of great skills that I have incorporated in to my own teaching style. I look to many of these colleagues as mentors.
Why I love parent-teacher conferences
Seeing the look on a parent’s face when we share all the amazing milestones their child is meeting in school is such a great feeling!
Many people are surprised that young children…
Are so resilient. They could have had a rough morning, but then doing something they enjoy at school might completely change their day and you’d never know they started out having a rough day.
At the end of the day, I feel terrific when I think about....
All of the things the children learned because we provided the setting, the tools, the materials and the love…and the impact that I had on the day.