A Clover Park School District story.
Our Clover Park School District Staff Spotlight this week features Early Learning Program teacher Chris Pantoja.
Chris has worked for the Early Learning Program for 18 years, first as a teacher’s assistant and now as a teacher. “Working with Clover Park kids and the amazing Early Learning staff, who I love to pieces, has made this place feel like a family,” she said.
Students in the program are ages 3 through 5, and Chris enjoys working with the youngest kids in our district. “I loved raising my own children, and when I started working in the classroom, I realized that what is so fun about my job is helping kids build those basic, fundamental skills they’ll use for life,” she said.
Some of the skills Chris teaches her kids help them prepare to become kindergartners and develop their personalities outside of their usual home environment. “I love music, so it’s something I use very often to teach my kids, and it’s rewarding to hear them sing these songs with their parents,” she said. “In addition to music, I also incorporate a lot of group work to make sure they build those essential social skills.”
In Christina’s classroom, everyone is a friend. It’s important to her that each child treats others with kindness because she is aware that this time in a kid’s life can shape their behavior for years to come.
“We learn through play, so we do a lot of playing to make sure kids develop positive social skills,” she said. “They have a lot of big emotions they don’t always know how to express, so I want to give them words and tools to address their feelings.”
