Grandville — “I am not sure I have anything super special to say, but one thing I know is I still love teaching after 25 years. … It is what I was meant to do,” says preschool teacher Heidi Voetberg.
As a morning and afternoon teacher for 4-year-olds at Grandville’s Early Learning Center, Voetberg’s days are as varied as they come.
A game of catch during free-play time turns into a mediation session on the importance of sharing when a child is reluctant to give up a favorite ball.
A short lesson on thunder and lightning gives Voetberg a chance to let the kids open up about some of their fears and questions regarding the weather.
Even the act of lining up at the classroom door becomes an opportunity for a good life lesson: that sometimes we don’t get the thing we want — like the first spot in line — “and that’s OK,” she tells them.
Now in her 26th year teaching in Grandville, Voetberg can’t imagine doing anything else. She spoke to SNN about the profession, its challenges and what keeps her motivated after a quarter-century of preschool classrooms.
‘(Teaching) is not as cookie-cutter as it was 20 years ago, and you have to be OK with that. You have to adapt.’
— preschool teacher Heidi Voetberg
Why do you teach? “Because I love kids and they make me happy. It just brings me joy.
“I knew from the time I started babysitting at age 12 or 13 that I wanted to be a teacher. My dad told me I was not going to make any money, and I knew he was right, but I also knew I was going to be happy. … Right before he passed away, I got the job in Grandville, and I remember telling him I finally got my dream job, that I wasn’t going to be rich, but that I was actually going to be doing what I want to be doing, and he was so happy for me. And I still can honestly say that I do love my job.”
What is your biggest motivator? “Grandville is a really great place to work. The team that we have here at (Grandville Education Center) is wonderful, … and our families and the support that we get from them is just a really great thing.
“There are days when I’m really tired and I don’t exactly want to go teach preschool again the next morning, but I love that every day is a clean slate. Yesterday was yesterday, and today is a new start. Obviously, what we did yesterday didn’t work, so we’re going to try something new today.”
Why preschool? What are the most awesome things about your students? “They add so much animation to your day. They’re so honest and truthful, but really in a gentle and kind way. They’re just free-spirited and fun. They don’t really care if you can sing — because I cannot — and they don’t care if you can do anything perfectly. They just want to sit up on your lap and know that you care, that you’re interested in them.
“I also just love that things are so exciting to them. They love the art table, the sensory table, the silly little songs we sing, the puppets I use. It’s all just so cool. They find joy in the simple things. They want to chat about what they had for lunch or what they did last night, and they just love that you would want to talk with them — it means everything.”
Talk about the importance of education at this age: “My heart still does believe in a largely play-based curriculum for preschool. Obviously we have to have academics in the curriculum because of the way school is going — ‘kindergarten is the new first grade’ and so on — but kids are going to learn best with hands-on play, and we can incorporate math and language arts and all those things into their day here. … Everyone is going to learn to read and write, but at their own pace. Let’s let them build on their social skills first. If they can’t sit at the carpet and listen to a story, then it’s going to be harder for them to learn to read next year. The rest will fall into place.”
What are some of your biggest challenges in this role? “Sometimes it’s behavior, and sometimes it’s figuring out what’s going to work versus what’s not. What’s going to work for ‘Susie’ might not work for ‘Bobby,’ and so on. Managing all of that with a class of 18 to 20 kids can be a challenge.
“The social-emotional piece (of learning) is huge — way different now than it was 10 years ago. I don’t know if that is something to do with remaining COVID issues, with kids being at home longer, but I try to honor that as well. Kids seem to be more emotional today — a lot more tears, a lot more big emotions, and they don’t know what to do with them. So we’ve added the ‘calm-down cube,’ a couch and a chair; all of that I didn’t have 10 years ago. I tell them, ‘You can sit in the chair until you’re ready to join us.’ Or maybe they just want their feelings validated. It’s OK to have different approaches with different kids. … Teachers can be bad about change. (Teaching) is not as cookie-cutter as it was 20 years ago, and you have to be OK with that. You have to adapt.”
What would you say to someone who is considering teaching as a profession? “The biggest thing is, you have to love it, and you have to really love kids. I’d also ask what the motivation is; if you want summers off, it’s probably not for you.
“You also have to have a heart for families, because it’s not just about the kids, especially in preschool — we walk alongside of our families. These are a lot of first-time parents in preschool, and often it’s (the child’s) first time away (from home). It is a lot of nurturing and teaching those families. They don’t know how to ‘do’ school. So you have to love families too.”
Read more from Grandville:
• She really means it: ‘Our school is a family’
• Grant helps fourth-graders ride out stress
