"“I remember being amazed by my kindergarten teacher, Miss Little,” Flanagan says. “She was just so warm and welcoming and always had a huge smile on her face every day. And I wanted to be just like her. And ever since, I said, 'I'm going to be a kindergarten teacher.' And it never wavered.”"
"Flanagan now teaches in the same school district she grew up in and relishes the chance to “give back to the community that raised me.” She tells Carson that kindergarten is the most magical grade because it's “the unicorn of the school.” “They come in not knowing their letters and by the end of the year, they are reading and writing ... all while learning to be a kind person, and how to share and take turns. It's just amazing to see that kind of growth.”"
"Flanagan says her intent with every student is to develop a connection. “Getting to know each kid on an individual level is something that I take great pride in,” she says. “It makes them feel valued and seen and important.”"
Kindergarten teachers provide children’s first school experience by teaching foundational skills like reading and writing and by guiding classroom behavior. Morgan Flanagan, a kindergarten teacher at John H. West Elementary in Bethpage, New York, brought her classroom to the TODAY Plaza for Teacher Appreciation Week and taught alongside guest teachers. Flanagan credits her own kindergarten teacher, Tiffany Little, for inspiring her career through warmth, welcoming presence, and daily smiles. She teaches in the district where she grew up and focuses on giving back to the community. She describes kindergarten as the “unicorn of the school,” where children enter without letter knowledge and leave reading and writing while learning kindness, sharing, and turn-taking. She emphasizes building individual connections so students feel valued and seen.
#kindergarten-education #teacher-appreciation #student-development #early-literacy #classroom-community
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