by Little Sunshine's Playhouse and Preschool

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October 2017 Company-Wide Teacher of the Month

Happy November! This is the time of year to reflect on what we are thankful for and we are so thankful for all of our hardworking men and women who love on our children every day! The process of choosing just one passionate teacher each month is tough, but we are so grateful to have so many to choose from! The following teachers were nominated by their Program Directors and Assistant Directors for this achievement:

  • Brianna Huffman, Ozark
  • Jeanette Beauchamp, Springfield I
  • Bryanna Jackson, Colorado Springs
  • Kailey Wacasey, Southlake
  • Shelby Morlen, Springfield III
  • Olivia Partington-Farrow, Rogers
  • Amy Gottlieb, Gilbert
  • Crisa Blake, Scottsdale
  • Olivia Hurley, Leawood
  • Leola Hubbard, University City
  • Sarah Jacobs, Willowbrook
  • Cassandra Killman, Springfield II
  • Ali Shantz, Littleton
  • Natasha Calloway, Alpharetta
  • Lorena Pianezzola, The Woodlands
  • Amanda Snead, Dominion
  • Brianna Ladd, Overland Park

Congratulations to all of these nominees! We truly appreciate everything you do for the children in your care every day.

We are excited to announce our 2017 October Company-Wide Teacher of the Month is Ms. Janie Sheehan! Janie is the lead prekindergarten teacher in the Lakeway, Texas school. Her supervisors, Brittany Krempges and Jessica Watson, believe in Janie’s expertise and her ability to positively impact her students.

“Ms. Janie has been with LSP for two years and continually amazes us every day! She is innovative in her lesson plans and is an inspiring role model for our teachers. Her knowledge of the Reggio Emilia philosophy is present throughout her classroom and in her curriculum. Ms. Janie has a knack of recognizing each individual child’s needs and helping them flourish to the best of their abilities,” Brittany said. “Our families feel confident their children will be ready for Kindergarten and seek her many years of experience on how to continue teaching at home. We are so fortunate to have Ms. Janie as part of our Little Sunshine’s family! Thank you for always going above and beyond! Congratulations!”

“Ms. Janie is amazing. She truly is an example for all teachers in Little Sunshine’s. She is knowledgeable in all things Reggio Emilia and this is shown throughout her classroom and in her lesson plans,” Jessica said. “When I walk into our PreK class I love to join in the different centers and sometimes will sneak onto the carpet with the children for group time. Ms. Janie gives the children in her class freedom to explore but helps to guide them and make sure they are still learning. Her gentle way with solving problems and relating to the children’s perspective helps make the students problem solve on their own. She also actively engages in the Facebook Passion Bucket weekly by posting different activities and articles for other LSP teachers to see. Ms. Janie will be celebrating her two years with Little Sunshine’s Lakeway October 30th! She is a loyal, hardworking, and caring contribution to our team!”

Janie got her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and returned to school to earn her master’s degree in Education. She has been teaching classes from prekindergarten through high school for more than 30 years. She currently teaches in the prekindergarten class and enjoys her students’ eagerness to learn.

“I love the flexibility LSP gives teachers,” Janie said. “I’m a very creative person, and I love coming up with new ideas for the classroom. Four- and five-year-olds love to learn, and it is very exciting to be part of that process!”

Janie is a strong advocate of implementing the Reggio Emilia philosophy in her classroom.

“My favorite projects are the ones that lead to open-ended learning,” Janie said. “Last year while exploring different types of weather, the children decided they wanted to learn more about the water cycle. Some of the children drew the entire water process in their weekly journal entries. I was astonished at their knowledge level. It’s positive proof the inquiry portion of Reggio is super important.”

Aside from work, Janie said she enjoys doing anything outside in nature. She hasn’t watched television in more than five years and spends that time reading and creating. Something else people may not know about Janie is that she worked in a French/English school while her family lived in Switzerland for five years.

“I taught French and Dutch students English, and I also worked with special needs students for the school.”

Thank you, Janie, for all you do. We are so lucky to have you as part of the LSP family!