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Our Family | Our
Teachers
2-day and 3-day Teacher and Educational Director
Early in my career as a registered
nurse working in the hospital, I found I was drawn to
children. Interacting with parents was a natural part
of my job. The challenge was to help the child and the
parent as well, often during a stressful time. The Family
was always considered a unit needing total support.
As my husband Jim and I raised our children, two sons
and one daughter, I wanted work that allowed me more
time with my own family. Teaching, in a co-operative
nursery school was a perfect fit. It has allowed me
to connect with the total family in a very similar way.
In fact, I don’t believe I could ever work anywhere
other than a cooperative setting. The rewards for me
are tremendous.
I came to Glenbrook in 1992 and have
loved every minute of it. There is no doubt that children
blossom and grow when they are in an environment where
the adults around them understand and value the very
essence of their development. I really have a two pronged
view of my work in the classroom. My priority is to
help children discover that school is a happy place
where they can know security, joy and wonder in the
world around them. The other aspect is to help moms
and dads, through my own experience and knowledge, as
they navigate through early parenthood.
Children are
natural explores with their own unique learning styles,
going at their own particular pace. The early years
form a tremendous foundation for future success in life.
I am a firm believer that young children learn best
through play. That is Glenbrook’s philosophy and
that is mine as well. With the assistance of the families,
I want to offer reassurance, acceptance and guidance.
With laughter, imagination and use of our whole bodies,
we’ll traverse through these “magic”
years together.
If
you ask, “Who is Pam Van Prooyen?” I could
probably describe myself best by saying,……
“I
like to laugh
I like to pretend.
I like to experience strong emotions.
I like to sing and dance.
I like to run and play.
I like to be silly with children.
I like to care for and about something.
I like to read.
I like to eat.
I like to smell things.
I like to feel things.
I like to touch things.”
I
like to be around children because our ‘likes’
seem to be very similar.
4-day Teacher
I first joined the teaching staff at Glenbrook in 1994 and am delighted to be returning after my 2005/06 sabbatical.
I truly missed my Glenbrook family – the children, their parents and my fellow teachers. I believe children learn through
their play and that play is their work. Fred Rogers said it well: “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from learning.
Play is the real work of childhood.” We do a lot of playing in my classroom; the play takes different forms. If you were to
come in to observe at the beginning of the year, you would see children engaged in solitary play, parallel play
and perhaps even some cooperative play. Later in the year, you would see more cooperative play.
We also enjoy teacher-led activities and games in which all children are encouraged to take part.
I am concerned with all aspects of each child’s development, including physical, emotional, social, and
cognitive growth, and each area is addressed in various ways throughout the year. However, it is fair to
say that with this age group, my primary focus is on their emotional and social development.
I want each member of my class to look forward to coming to school and to be an eager participant in
classroom activities. I see myself as a guide who helps the children learn how to interact not only with their peers,
but also with adults who are not family members. I encourage them to converse, share, take turns, ask questions,
problem solve, and to develop self-awareness and empathy. I try to foster independence and self-control.
I want the children to develop healthy habits and an awareness of and love for nature and also want them to be able
to express their creativity through art, music, movement, block building or whatever may inspire them.
In addition to teaching at Glenbrook, I enjoy spending time (including cell phone time) with my family,
(husband, two sons, two daughters and one daughter-in-law), solving crossword puzzles, and reading.
5-day Teacher
Although a native Californian, I
have lived in the Washington, DC, area for the last
20 years. With degrees from University of California,
Santa Barbara and the University of Maryland, I taught
at various private schools in the area as a classroom
teacher, special education teacher, and administrator.
While completing graduate work in special education,
I had the pleasure of participating in a pilot program
developing curricula and techniques for gifted students
with learning disabilities. This experience led to facilitating
several mentoring programs for beginning teachers and
worked extensively in curriculum development.
I first joined the Glenbrook community
as a cooping parent and like Becky Mangan, just haven’t
left. I had the opportunity to serve as Glenbrook’s
President for one year and during the 2004-2005 school
year, joined the teaching staff at Glenbrook.
I enjoy the energy of the Fabulous
Fours and Fives! There are few things more satisfying
than seeing these young minds discover the alphabet,
counting, and other pre-academic skills. I truly believe
a classroom provides a safe place for students to learn
through exploration, play, music, art, movement, and
invention.
In addition to spending time with
my husband Jeff and daughter Libby, I enjoy gardening,
cooking, and film.
Lunch Bunch Teacher
I've been around Glenbrook for nearly
a decade. I first came to Glenbrook as the parent of
a Teddy Bear in 1996 and held a variety of board positions
including newsletter editor, membership chair, fundraising
chair, and president (three times). Now, I'm returning
for a second year as the teacher for Lunch Bunch, an
"after school" program focused on science
and arts.
Science? For preschoolers? You bet!!
Most children are natural-born scientists. Curiosity,
exploration and discovery are not only the underpinnings
of the scientific process, they also happen to be the
way young children learn about the world around them.
Often this process is informal. A child sees something
and wonders, "what if?" She then tries to
answer the question by further investigating the object
and observing how it interacts with other things in
the environment. Finally, she discovers the answer -
either in whole or in part.
As the parent of three boys - a high
schooler, middle schooler, and kindergartener - I have
long been concerned with the lack of emphasis given
to science by the public schools. It is my hope that
by instilling in your child an appreciation - if not
a love - of science at an early age, he/she will continue
to embrace exploration and discovery even when future
opportunities to do so may be limited.
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