About Beth
About Beth
My motto:
Teach as though you were teaching your own children. —Anonymous
I will never forget my son’s fifth birthday. Naively, we thought that a dinosaur hunt would be a great idea for the party. So we buried cow bones in an undisclosed location and handed out maps, compasses, and trowels to Crockett and his friends. We read to them a legend from the Seminole Indians that described the types of dinosaurs that once lived in our neck of the woods. Eager to be the next generation of archeological diggers, the kids set off through the woods toward the spot where century-old dinosaur bones would surely be discovered. Within moments, giant jawbones, skulls, and leg bones were unearthed. The air filled with gasps, squeals, and laughter as each discovery was made and shared. Each child sized up their find, shared what they already knew about dinosaurs, made predictions, and fabricated ideas, all to describe what they believed were dinosaur bones from gentle giants of long ago.
The next day in the newspaper, there was a two-page photograph of Sue, the largest T-Rex ever to be preserved and reconstructed. So we spent hours comparing the bones from the dig to Sue. The conclusion was that we had indeed found a somewhat smaller relative of T-Rex Sue. Crockett took the bones, the newspaper photo, and all his dinosaur books and models to Show and Tell that year and for a few years after, to share his adventure.
The experience has stayed with me all these years as one of the most profound examples of why I teach. It’s the great satisfaction and joy you receive when the lights in the eyes of a newly motivated child begin to shine. And it’s the joy that comes from the smiles, gasps, and the laughter that ensues when learning is an adventure—not a task.
I’ve spent my entire life teaching in one way or another: first, with my own children; then, with children whose parents have entrusted me with their care; and twenty-something years later, educating children, parents, and educators across the country.
This passion for making learning fun and for providing opportunities that inspire and educate while keeping children curious led me to Robert-Leslie Publishing and the creation of The Investigator Club Prekindergarten Learning System. Joellyn and I worked with an incredibly talented team of teachers, writers, editors, and designers to develop this program. But, as Jo says, “It’s a work in progress.” There’s much for us to learn from you. So please join us on this blog site to share your ideas for keeping the spark lit.
