Meet our Teachers: Q & A

We sat down with a few of our teachers at Playgarden Prep and Playgarden Online (including myself!) to learn a little more about the people who spend so much time with our little ones.

Miss Julia

Where are you from?

I grew up in the East Bay of California and I’ve lived in Manhattan for almost 6 years now.

What brought you to Playgarden Prep?

Quite a few friends from college as well as one of my roommates worked here and I needed a job when I moved to the city! I love working with kids so it seemed to be the perfect fit. 

What’s your favorite part of the school day?

Music class 🙂 I grew up singing and I love that our little ones learn through music. I have learned quite a bit myself through our music curriculum! 

Do you have a favorite Playgarden song to sing with students?

Any song where we get to learn about animals, so “We’re on our way to a Safari” and “We’re Going to the Zoo” are some favorites, also the classics like “Row Your Boat” and “Old MacDonald”. I also recently rediscovered a song called “Icky Sticky Bubble Gum” that is just so much fun to sing and the little ones think it is very silly. 

What part of the school year do you look forward to most? (It could be a letter of the week, an art project, a food tasting, a STEM project, anything!)

I love Letter V week because the students get to see the classic baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment. I remember seeing it for the first time and to see them get so excited about science makes me so happy.

What is something you have learned about kids since working with preschoolers? 

If you give them the space to talk, they will talk your ear off. It is so fun just letting a little one tell you a story about something that happened and seeing how happy they are that someone is listening AND engaging with them. Even the more quiet students have so much to share.

Miss Gabby

Where are you from?

Long Island, New York

What brought you to Playgarden Prep?

I really loved that music was a big part of the teaching style!

What’s your favorite part of the school day?

Seeing how excited the kids are to learn and discover new things first thing in the morning.

Do you have a favorite Playgarden song to sing with students?

I love how much the kids love the song “Down By the Bay”.

What part of the school year do you look forward to most? (It could be a letter of the week, an art project, a food tasting, a STEM project, anything!)

I love graduation! I love how excited the kids get to share and celebrate their accomplishments throughout the year.

What is something you have learned about kids since working with preschoolers?

Just to be more open about everything. About learning new things, about meeting new people, and yes about learning from your mistakes. 

Miss Trixie

Where are you from?

I’m originally from the Bay Area, California but I currently live in Brooklyn!

What brought you to Playgarden Prep?

I was looking to teach for a preschool program that was organized & structured yet also super creative & fun and the universe brought Playgarden to my attention at the perfect time in my life. 

What’s your favorite part of the school day?

It is definitely a tie between when everybody comes downstairs first thing in the morning and both classes get to play all together, and my time with the 3’s class in the group room doing all of our morning songs. Specifically with the 3’s class with Ms. Delilah and I, we have so many silly jokes together to make our daily songs exciting & fun. I love our mornings all together because it’s just pure serotonin watching each child discovering what they love to do and being so creative and silly! 

Do you have a favorite Playgarden song to sing with students?

I absolutely love singing “The Goldfish” because it’s very theatrical & silly! I adore getting on the floor with all the children and then popping up all together and dancing all around. It’s like a theatrical experience! 

What part of the school year do you look forward to most? (It could be a letter of the week, an art project, a food tasting, a STEM project, anything!)

I really love all of the art projects that are super creative, individualized, and special for the kiddos! I love how we teach them about all different artists and do projects inspired by them. 

What is something you have learned about kids since working with preschoolers? 

One of the most beautiful things I’ve found is that the shyest children can be the silliest and most creative ones! I love telling the story of one of my students who previously never laughed, smiled, or talked at school with us. One day, I was just being my super silly self and I said “what if I was a Jack in the box toy?” And I put my head under my shirt and made up a little tune and then popped out and yelled “HERE I AM!” And all of a sudden this child started absolutely cracking up and giggling so much! And after that whenever I would read stories, she would come up to me and tell me long creative stories of her own! She started sharing everything with me and getting really involved in all of our art projects, her creativity truly blows me away! And now she is one of the most extroverted kids in class and loves acting silly all the time! Laughing with children is truly life changing for them and so precious.

Check out our Q&A part 2 — interviews with some of our in-person teachers at Playgarden Prep!