What happens when the expertise cultivated in one early childhood classroom reaches future teachers across the city? It creates an opportunity to share what’s working with educators who may one day bring those ideas into their own classrooms. For Teacher Janna, that opportunity came through an invitation to Temple University, where she spoke with two classes of students majoring in early childhood education.
There is something special about seeing a teacher’s everyday work recognized beyond her own classroom. Janna shared how an intentional, literacy-rich environment can invite children into a lifelong relationship with books. She talked about teacher agency, the choices educators make each day to bring learning to life, and how those choices can help children see themselves as readers.
For the Temple students, it was an opportunity to learn from a teacher doing this work with young children every day. For FSH, it was a chance to extend the care and expertise within our school with people who may one day bring those ideas into classrooms of their own.
Where a Love of Books Begins
A literacy-rich classroom is about more than having books on a shelf. It is a place where children have opportunities to explore stories, make connections, ask questions, and discover that their thoughts are worth sharing. Creating that kind of environment asks teachers to pay close attention to the children in front of them and to consider how the space, materials, and daily experiences can support their growing curiosity.
In Teacher Janna’s classroom, that work begins with two-year-olds: making books part of the everyday rhythm, following children’s interests, and creating joyful moments that say, “You belong here, and you are a reader.”
At this age, a child’s relationship with books is just beginning. Turning pages together, pointing to a picture, or asking to hear a favorite story again can become an opportunity for connection and discovery. The care a teacher brings to those moments helps children feel confident exploring language and talking about what they notice.
When Janna spoke with future teachers at Temple, she brought the perspective of someone doing this work every day. Her visit gave students a chance to consider what intentional teaching looks like in a real early childhood classroom, and how the choices they make as educators may shape a child’s earliest experiences of learning.
Sharing What We Learn
At Friends School Haverford, we believe our work can reach beyond our classrooms. The care we put into our teaching, our learning environments, and our programs has the potential to support other educators and strengthen early childhood education more broadly. We are deeply committed to contributing what we are learning and practicing and in doing so, we contribute to a community of teachers who will shape children’s experiences for years to come.
Janna’s visit also gave her a chance to step back from the daily rhythm of her classroom and explain the thinking behind her work. For the students at Temple, hearing from a practicing teacher offered a glimpse of how ideas about early childhood education take shape in everyday moments with children.
That kind of sharing reflects the Quaker values at the heart of FSH: honoring the light and potential in every person, listening with care, and building community through meaningful work.
Teacher Janna’s visit was a reminder that even a small school can make a wide impact. One classroom can help a child discover the joy of reading. One teacher can inspire the next generation of educators. And one little school, by sharing its knowledge and living its values, can help change the world, one reader, one teacher, and one child at a time.
Sustaining this work requires continued investment in the people, spaces, and programs that make it possible.
Help the Next Generation Grow
The care and expertise Janna brings to her classroom reflect what is possible when children learn in an environment designed for curiosity, connection, and growth.
Charitable gifts help Friends School Haverford invest in the people, spaces, and programs that allow children to thrive. They can support enriching classroom materials, campus improvements, and new opportunities that strengthen our nature-rich, community-centered learning environment.
Make a gift to Friends School Haverford and help grow a vibrant school community for today’s children and the generations to come.
