2008-09 Missouri Teacher of the Year Finalist Shelli Lee

Directing Preschool Children to be Self-Motivated Learners

by Gayla Hays

Shelli Lee in the classroom.

Shelli Lee describes her teaching career as a journey. Officially, it began 16 years ago as a special education teacher. Unofficially, it began when she was 10 and “taught” her 3-year-old sister by reading books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The preschool teacher at the Lafayette County C-1 School District in Higginsville is a Missouri Teacher of the Year finalist for 2008-09. In the written application for the program, she reflected on her teaching journey. “I could never have imagined how much I was going to learn or where my great journey was going to take me,” she said.

She has experienced tremendous growth in the education profession. She no longer thinks of herself as the “expert” who must instill knowledge in her students. Rather, she follows what she calls a more effective teaching philosophy. “I want to provide opportunities for my students to construct their own knowledge as it pertains to them rather than having them constantly listen to me instruct them with the knowledge that I choose for them,” she said.

She is a facilitator for the Project Construct National Center and helps other early childhood teachers from within Missouri and around the country learn how to implement developmentally appropriate early childhood methods. She is constantly seeking research-based instructional strategies to share with other educators.

In her classroom at Grandview Elementary School, she follows the four guiding principles of Project Construct. “As an educator, I must establish an environment that is conducive to learning and allows the interactions of children’s physical, intellectual and social realms to take place at the same time.”

“I feel it is my job to provide the opportunities for children to become self-directed, self-motivated learners, and I try to convey that I am learning right along with them.”  — Shelli Lee, Lafayette County C-I School District, Higginsville

 

Building a Preschool Program

Mrs. Lee is teaching in her hometown and the school she attended as a child. She joined the district in 1992 and has directed the preschool for the past eight years. When she saw a need for a preschool program in her community, she applied for a Missouri Preschool Project grant, administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Mrs. Lee was honored as a state Teacher of the Year finalist by State Board of Education President Russell Thompson at a banquet Nov. 19, 2008, in Jefferson City. (Photo by Debra Angstead)

In 2001, the district received more than $90,000 to begin a preschool. Mrs. Lee built the program from the ground up, from designing the classroom building and ordering furniture to establishing admission procedures and writing curriculum.

The preschool grant has been renewed every year, and the district has been awarded more than $386,000 to maintain its program. Mrs. Lee manages the budget and works with state officials in meeting licensing, sanitation and fire safety standards. The preschool has achieved Missouri accreditation and is state-licensed.  

Janet Jones, director of Special Services for the Lafayette County C-1 School District, said: “Every year, the parents of our community are clamoring to get their child in Miss Shelli’s preschool, because they know the quality of the teacher and the program she has developed.”

Mrs. Lee believes that one of the bonuses of being a preschool teacher is the amount of parent contact and family involvement. “I am giving children their very first school experience. It is so important that it be a positive experience as I am setting the stage for the next 12-13 years.

“I encourage parent volunteers in my classroom and have an open policy for family members to be involved in their child’s education experiences. For those who aren’t able to get into my program, I will work diligently to help them enroll in a preschool elsewhere,” she added.

Community Support

Mrs. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Central Missouri State University. She has a teaching certificate in early childhood special education. She currently is taking graduate courses at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

She is grateful for the monetary gifts and other prizes donated by the Missouri Teacher of the Year program sponsors.

“The biggest benefit of being named a finalist in the state Teacher of the Year program has been the outpouring of support throughout my community. What an honor to be recognized for doing something that I enjoy so much!”

Note: The 2009-2010 Missouri Teacher of the Year application is now available online. Candidates must submit their application form by July 20, 2009.

Gayla Hays is a supervisor for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.