My name is Samantha and the day I knew I wanted to become a teacher was in first grade. My teacher was putting stickers on our spelling tests and I thought that seemed like the most amazing job in the world. Fast forward to today, I have been a teacher now for 11 years, can not count how many stickers I have given out, and still think it's the most amazing job in the world! 

I might be bias but I think early childhood is the most important age group to teach. It helps set the foundation for the rest of their lives. They learn vital academics, yes, but more importantly they learn the skills to help them cope with big feelings, they learn who they are as a person, they learn how to treat the people around them, they learn how to be a member of a community, they learn how to share, they learn how to set boundaries, they learn about the world around them, they learn a silly moment from a focused moment, they learn how to dive into their imaginations, they learn how to express themselves in words and gestures, they learn SO MUCH and even though they are still littles in our eyes, they are soaking in everything around them. 

This is why I have always felt my job of fostering a safe, structured, warm, caring, and joyful environment for my students where they are seen, loved and heard is up there as one of the most important jobs there are. These are the people that will be the adults in our community soon (not too soon - let them be little <3) and don't we want a community full of independent, comfortable, caring, warm and joyful adults that are able to handle big feelings when they arise?

I tend to rant when it comes to early childhood so forgive me but hopefully this gives you a little glimpse into the heart I put into my work everyday. And now I leave you with the important facts about myself, that I usually share with my students at the beginning of each year, because they wouldn't care much about my rant. 

Important things you should know about Ms. Suarez!

Three things that I LOVE are tacos, tea and teaching!