Kelli Stockford: I'm from Milton-Freewater, Oregon.  I have an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.  I began teaching preschool about 10 years ago.  Since then, I've had 2 boys and moved from Indiana to Oregon.  When my youngest son turned 3, I started a preschool in my home (small classes -- 5-6 children).  I hold morning and afternoon class.  I love being with young children, watching them learn and discover the world around them.  I love seeing their eyes light up after accomplishing something.  I love watching them be creative.  I feel the first three years are when they learn and accomplish the most.  They try to be so grown up, yet they're still babies.  I allow each to learn at their own pace, growing confident about who/how they are.
Carol Stratton: I'm a Colorado native, now living in a small town in the beautiful mountains.  Almost every parent here has to work as the cost of living is so high, so good childcare is at a premium.  I have been working with children about 27 years, since my own kids were little.  I have worked in public schools and private centers.  For 7 years I was the Preschool Specialist at one of our district's 3 preschools, with about 40 kids and 6 staff.  But now I have leased, and am the teacher/director/bookkeeper/dishwasher/cook, etc of a small home preschool.  I'm still getting used to the idea of working alone instead of with a team.  I miss having other adults to bounce ideas off of, but I like the idea of trying to give the children a nice home setting in which to learn and play.  I regret never getting a 4 year degree, but feel I have learned so much from all the experts who I have worked with over the years.  People often ask me how I can stand spending my days with little children, but I think it's the best place to be.  Every day they make me laugh and see things through their eyes.
Juli Straub: I am a preschool teacher in Walla Walla, Washington.  I have 4 children ranging in ages from 10 months to 3 years.  I have been a stay-at-home mom for the last 3 years and look forward to returning to the classroom part-time this fall.  I love working with children......they keep me laughing and learning!
Charlene Swietek: I'm a family childcare provider in South Windsor, Connecticut.  I love to work with preschool children and provide something other than a "babysitting" service.  I am always searching for ideas and activities to present to them.  I try to provide them with a basis for learning what they need to know to get into kindergarten.  I have three children of my own ages 10, 8 and 4.  We also have a dog.  In my spare(?) time, I like to scrapbook, read, and just relax.
Tamie: I'm 41 yrs old, married with children, SW Michigan resident, and a child care provider.  My own children are currently 17 and 4 yrs old (girls) and 14 yrs old (boy).  We've always homeschooled our children, and we've been doing child care since we married, 22 yrs ago.  My husband Mark and I had been praying about what we should do for a living.  Then one evening, having never discussed it beforehand, we simultaneously agreed that it should be DAYCARE.  It's obvious to us that this was an answer from God.  We started out offering just child care services, and then gradually, as our financial situation changed, we incorporated preschool into our program. 
Lorri Thomas: I am 43 years old and have been teaching pre-kindergarten in Temecula, California for 13 years.  I have a 17 year old daughter named Amanda.  I've wanted to teach since I was 8 yrs old.  I'm in a 2-yr Bachelor's degree program through the University of Redlands, and sometimes I wonder what I'm doing going back to SCHOOL at 43 yrs old!  I hope to be able to teach elementary school when finished.  Don't get me
wrong, I love preschool, but am ready for a change.  My approach to teaching is---be strict and consistent, but love them.
Nisha Thukral: I am from India.  I run a pre-school in the Holy City of Varanasi.  I'm a graduate, having completed my schooling at Loreto Convent.  I am married and a mother of two teenage children.  I love surfing on the web for educational sites and I love my tiny tots in school and try to provide them with the best possible education.
Edna Toha: I live in Bogor, Indonesia.  I have a BSC in Public Relations Science, Faculty of Communication University, Padjadjaran Bandung 1991; Basic course on Kindergarten Teacher, Tadika Puri (Certificate) 1997.  I am the Head teacher at Rumah Kita Playgroup and Childcare Center in Bogor.  I enjoy cooking, reading, and correspondency.  E-mail: kosbgr@indo.net.id
Mary Tolliver: I am a preschool teacher -- as of 7 months ago.  I really enjoy my work here in the state of Washington.  I have a daughter who is 22, and one who is seven.  Therefore, I have ideas from 17 years ago, and from just 3 years ago.  I am always welcoming new ideas -- I just purchased my first computer 4 months ago, so I'm new at this.  By the way, I have purchased Stormie's booklets, and they are excellent.  E-mail: Tmaryfl@aol.com
Sister Mary Tommasino S. C.: (generally called Sister Mary): I live in Scarsdale New York and work in Hopewell Jct. NY which is about 50 miles away.  My present job is as Principal/Director of a parish preschool called "The Ark and the Dove."  It is in a brand new building.  The preschool wing was built just for preschool so it's ideal.  This was our first year and we served about 72 children (3 and 4 years of age).  At the present time there are 118 registered for Sept 1999.  I started my career in Early Childhood in 1969 when I trained as a childcare worker at the New York Foundling Hospital (at that time this agency cared for 325 children -- newborn to 3.  After about eight years I returned to school and obtained my B.S. and M.S. degrees.  My masters is in Early Childhood Special Education.  The next piece in this mosaic was to open a multi-aged preschool class in a parish elementary school.  When I started, there were 12 children in a half day kindergarten.  When I left there nine years later, there were two full day kindergartens with 18 children in each, and 18 children in each session of the PreK.  From there it was on to Head Start.  The Archdiocese of New York operates a very large program in the Bronx (13 centers in all).  At first I worked as a Special Education Consultant but soon moved into center Supervisor and Education Director.  So now, thirity years later, I'm still starting new things but all with little people.  I love working with new parents as well as their children.  I enjoy working on computers and am very pleased to have one of the new Little Tikes IBM computers for the children.  I live with seven other religious Sisters and share life and prayer with them each day.  Life is not dull.  I have come to believe that only other early childhood people really understand our craziness.  E-mail:email jclord@idt.net
Samantha Turner: I teach preschool at Kiddie Carousel in Dalton, Georgia.
Sherry Ulrich: I'm a Mom of two wonderful children.  I have a four year old daughter and a two year old son.  I began teaching about 4 years ago when the daycare where I took my daughter asked me if I would like to come in and help.  Ever since that day, I have been working in Daycare.  I am now a certified teacher with the state.  I work as a head teacher in the 2 and 3 year old class.  I have on average of between 6-10 students a day (one of them being my son).  I can't imagine doing anything else in my life but teach.  I think about the kids all the time and I miss them terribly when I'm not there.
Ummibrahim: I live in Canada, and am actually Canadian (European mix).  My husband is Somalian, from Mogadishu (the capital and largest city in Somalia).  We have three Somalian-Canadian children, ages 2, 4, and 6.
Lucy Vieira: I work in a pre-school/day care center named "My School," in Alturas, California.  I have worked in daycare for 12 years and am now an associate teacher.  One more class and I will have my Teacher's Certificate!  We enroll children ages 2-5.  I work with the pre-kindergarten group (mostly 4-5 year olds).  I am bi-lingual and enjoy teaching all the children how to speak Spanish.  I love my job and I love all the children I have helped along the way, some of which are graduating from high school this year, 2004.  My favorite subjects to teach are Reading and Music.  I think these are both important and fun for children to learn as they help stimulate their brains.  I always start the day off with music and dancing to get the wiggles out and get the children prepared for learning.  I think it is important for us to keep leaning too, so I take as many on-line classes as I can.
Heather Villareal: I live with my husband and son in Houston, Texas.  Until this year, I was a stay-at-home mom.  I began teaching again (High School English) after hubby graduated.  My husband was 300% against day care; from day 1 he hated it....until he realized that our son's teacher was actually an angel in disguise... :)  Truthfully, we got the most WONDERFUL woman in the world as his teacher...we are so grateful to her, for the way she loves our baby...my applause to each of you for taking the time to be the very best!
June Waege: I teach preschool at Tiny Treasures Lutheran Preschool in Mishicot, Wisconsin.  Currently, I have seven 4&5 yr olds in my room on Monday and Wednesday mornings.  I have been teaching at Tiny Treasures for 3 years.  I taught Kindergarten for 4 years before that.  I am happily married and have 2 sons, ages 3 1/2 and 22 months.  My joy in teaching comes from seeing my students grow not only academically, but most importantly, spiritually.
Debbie White: I live in Illinois.  I received a BS in Elementary Ed way back when.  I got married, had two children and stayed home [mostly] with them.  I did some part-time work [Welcome Wagon, substitute teaching, day care, etc] until my kids were in Jr. Hi and High School.  I worked for two years as a teacher's assistant in an Early Childhood Special Education classroom.  During that time I started working on my master's in Special Ed.  For the last 10 years I've taught ECSE in a small town of about 6,000 people.  I've had students with a wide variety of disabilities.  Every year is a new adventure.  I work at Washington School, a public elementary school [pre-k through 2nd grade] with about 375 students.  My husband, Rich, is a computer person so he's been a BIG help to me when it comes to e-mail and the internet.  Our son, Andy, is also a computer person.  He'll be 27 soon and is a partner in a computer company.  Our daughter, Jean, is a Speech-Language Pathologist.  She has just completed her first year of work in her old elementary school.  I enjoy audio books which I listen to on my way to school [a one hour commute each way] and I love to do counted cross stitch.  E-mail:debbie58@motion.net
Jennifer Williams: I graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in mental retardation in 1999.  Soon after, I attended Georgia State University to add on certification in early childhood special education.  I have been teaching special needs preschool (3-5 year olds) since the fall of 2000.  The children in my classes typically have developmental delays and speech-language impairments.  On a personal note, I got married April 14, 2001 and became a mother to an amazing daughter, Beth, on November 25, 2002.
Sharon Winter: I live in Baltimore, Maryland and I've been teaching pre-k for 10 years.  I began the program when I saw a great need to serve the families in my neighborhood.  I addressed the issue with my parish priest and he gave the go ahead, and here we are, now ten years later, and we have a two year waiting list.  I have two children, ages 18 and 14, and I've been married 21 years.  I truly enjoy working with young children -- there's nothing like it in the world!
Pam Bruns Works: I'm from Topeka, Kansas, and am an educational consultant/teacher trainer (I train with the KCCTO organization -- Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities).  I also contract with a family to provide educational services to their two children.  I have been in the field of early childhood education for the past 16 years, and have loved and learned from every experience afforded to me!!  I also have the privilege to serve as the president-elect of TAEYC (now serving as membership services/president-elect).  My past two positions I have had (before deciding to contract from my home) are: working in Child Care Licensing, conducting visits to licensed preschools, centers, and homes, and working as research assistant to the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, at the University of Kansas (worked in the home visit/child development-assessment area).  For the last two years, I've had the opportunity to work with "Miss Kitty" in creating and developing Family Literacy Nights (Book Blasts) for the "Everybody Wins When Adults Read With Children" Project (sponsored by the Junior League of Topeka).  We hosted these workshops at 8 area elementary schools.  I have a TERRIFIC husband, Mark, and we have two TERRIFIC children -- Gracie (6) and John John (3).  I love to work with families and teachers, as I learn something new each time I hold a workshop.
Susan Wray:  I am the third of eight children.  At 55, I have been married 35 years.  We have a son, a daughter, and three grands.  I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, attended Catholic schools all 12 years.  I am a true Tennesseean who volunteers for projects pertaining to children.  Without kids in my life, I would be very sad.  Past work with children: Preschool teacher of two's, substitute teacher--mostly Kgn., children's  dept. librarian, boys & girls scout leader -- first my kids, then for grands, and was full-time grandmother during the preschool years while mommies worked.  I am currently the Storytime Lady (for preschoolers) at our local library.  I love to read a good novel!  I enjoy swapping ideas about entertaining/educating children.  E-Mail: hopeless@ecsis.net
Linda Young: I am a Head Start teacher at STEP INC in Rocky Mount, Virginia.  I have been working with children for about 23 years.  I had a day care in my home for 13 years and I have been with STEP for almost 10 years.  I have 3 sons of my own, ages 20, 23, and 28.  I have always loved spending time with children and seeing the world through their eyes.  They don't care if you can't sing or if you are having a bad hair day.  They love you anyway.  It is definitely "a different adventure everyday."
Taryn S. Young: I am Artistic Director for the Richmond Theatre Company for children (RTC) in Richmond, Virginia.  I work with my mother (Bootsie) who is the General Manager for RTC.  We produce interactive, educational live plays and musicals for children age 3-6.  I write the 30-40 minute plays and accompanying Study Guides.  I also teach a number of after-school enrichment programs and workshops for children (pre-K - 5th grade) and serve as Lead Teacher (Theatre) in a number of short-session summer camps in Richmond.  I also perform regularly around the area.  I have been working with children since I was a child -- I began "teaching what I know" in dance classes at the age of 7 and never stopped.  I am still learning with every experience and trying new things.  I love what I do, which is good since it has become my life's work.
Yutta: I am a German pre-k teacher and live in London, England, where I work as the head of the new pre-school and kindergarten at the German School.  Although the main school is German, the pre-school and kindergarten are bilingual.  I have worked in a bilingual setting for 15 years now.
Brenda Zimmerman: I live in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I recently graduated from the University of Utah with a Master's degree in Education and a teaching license for grades 1-6.  I am looking forward to teaching in the public school system, however I am also a mother of two young children (ages 4 and 1).  I decided to open a preschool in my home so that I can combine the two things I love the most - being a mom AND a teacher.  I teach a preschool class for ages 3 & 4 and a pre-K class for ages 4 & 5.
This apple is for those who are more than willing to share their ideas but don't wish to share information about themselves on the internet -- completely understandable!

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