Today we’d like to introduce you to Tacheryn (Tasha) Morrison.
Tacheryn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After working as a substitute teacher, I decided that becoming a teacher was what I was meant to do. I have always loved children and working with them became a passion. With my husband deployed for the second year to Iraq with the Army National Guard, a one year old son and a 12 year old son at home with me, I took on the challenge of pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. You can only imagine how challenging this was without my husband home, worrying about his well-being, taking care of my children and being a full time college student!
I was lucky enough to complete my internship in my own local community at Epping Elementary School. I learned from a well-respected and admired teacher, Mrs. Carole Bilodeau who taught first grade. She was an amazing mentor who wasn’t afraid to tell you where you needed improvement and also where your strengths were. I took a lot of what I learned from her and incorporated it into my own classroom.
While I was completing my internship, I noticed that students who had little or no preschool background and only half day kindergarten, struggling to keep up with the rest of their classmates. I found myself drawn to these students and wanting more than anything to help them catch up. This is how the idea of Great Expectations Preschool began.
After graduation, I was hired immediately by a preschool located in Fremont, NH. There I taught the Pre-Kindergarten class. I made sure I taught them beginning handwriting, early literacy concepts and mathematical thinking concepts, so that when they moved on to the kindergarten level, they already had the solid foundation they needed even if they were only enrolled in half day kindergarten. I couldn’t bear to watch children struggle, so I made sure any children coming from my classroom would not have that experience in their beginning years of Elementary School. After all, they say Kindergarten is the new first grade.
After teaching in Fremont, I felt my dream of becoming a first grade teacher being replaced by a new vision. I fell in love with the preschool age group. I went back to school to complete my requirements to become a certified level 6 early childhood educator. I was able to make a difference for these sweet little children and give them a love of education. What an amazing feeling it was to see their little faces light up with pride with each new accomplishment and concept grasped. I knew this was where I was meant to be.
After completing my college courses to become certified in Early Child hood Education as well as Elementary Education, I felt the need to open my very own program in my own community to reach out to the children of Epping. I wanted to have that connection with my own little town who reached out to my family and showed such warmth, support and kindness when my husband was deployed. I was very impressed with my experiences with the Epping Elementary School and wanted to help out my fellow teachers in the kindergarten and first grade levels by giving incoming students a solid foundation in education to work with. The more they know coming in to elementary school, the easier it is for our teachers to teach them and meet the common core standards.
I am now on my 3rd year of teaching at my very own program called Great Expectations Preschool, LLC. I love what I do. Though I am a smaller, in-home preschool, I am licensed by the state of NH and recognized as an official Preschool Program as well as a Child Care center due to my qualifications. I accept state scholarships, military scholarships and preventative and protective care scholarships. I provide a cozy, home-like environment with small group ratios to eliminate the chaos of a large center. This allows your child to focus, feel safe and secure, and develop a love of education. They aren’t just another face in the crowd. At Great Expectations Preschool, we don’t just meet standards, we exceed them!
There are those out there that would argue against a preschooler completing formal lessons, saying they are too young. I disagree. We use traditional group activities and independent activities to introduce our students to what they will encounter in the elementary school, but we also used play based lessons, hands on activities, and motion and dance to teach as well. We have more fun catching fish with numbers on them to introduce number recognition, Singing and dancing to sight word songs, going on letter hunts for uppercase and lowercase letters and so on and so forth. We make sure learning is fun! There is plenty of free play in our program too!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The hardest part of my journey had to be the deployment of my husband to Iraq. Attending school full time to pursue my degree, and worrying about his well-being while taking care of our boys was definitely a challenge. But I did it. I’m not a woman who gives up. I do not quit and I accept any challenge you put in front of me. I feel that is an important life lesson and have done my best to pass that on to my own children. They have never seen their mother give up. They never will. I tell them that the words,” I can’t” are not in our vocabulary. Instead we replace them with the words, “I’ll try”. The funny thing is, my oldest son Bryce is now at Norwich University whose motto is also, “I will try”. I’m so very proud of him. He’s an amazing young man also who never gives up. He has earned himself a 3.5 year scholarship with all of his hard work. I guess my life lessons really rubbed off!
Great Expectations Preschool – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Great Expectations stands out from the rest! We offer both a full day pre-k program as well as a half day program to accommodate working families who are looking for more than just your average day care center. Children who attend our program are given a solid foundation in education. Your child will be introduced to literacy and mathematical concepts as well as handwriting using the program Handwriting Without Tears that is currently used in the public school systems. We have a unique approach to learning that children really enjoy!
Research has shown that high-quality pre-kindergarten can have significant, lasting, benefits for children.
Our objective is to provide a safe, fun stimulating, and family oriented preschool program that allows parents to work worry free, knowing their children are in the best care.
We achieve this objective by working towards the following goals:
Ensuring a child’s first experience outside the home is positive by providing a loving and supportive environment that is safe and conducive to learning.
Advancing learning by utilizing appropriate developmental curriculum and inspiring children to discover the world around them.
Encouraging social, emotional, physical, and mental growth, while also preparing children mentally and emotionally for elementary school.
We take pride in creating an environment where children feel safe and loved; where they can learn about their emotions and gain social skills and get a jump start on their education!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I personally define my success by the happiness of my students who I affectionately refer to as munchkins, and their families. If my munchkins are having fun, smiling and laughing, then I know I am doing my job well. Learning shouldn’t be boring. It’s all about having fun. At this age, we are all about fun and the more we enjoy ourselves, the more we learn!
Pricing:
- Full day (8:30-2:30) 5 days……….$175
- Full day (8:30-2:30) 3 days……$125
- Full day (8:30-2:30) 2 days…….$100
- Half Day (8:30-11:30) 5 days……$150
- Half Day (8:30-11:30) 3 days…….$100
- Half Day (8:30-11:30) 2 days…….$75
Contact Info:
- Address: 98 Hamilton Drive
Epping, NH 03042 - Website: http://greatexpectationspreschool.webs.com/
- Phone: (603)734-5197
- Email: greatexpectationspreschool.llc@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatexpectationspreschool.llc/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1122813557746322/ (private group for enrolled students)
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