Meet Our La Petite Academy Staff – Ms. Stephanie, Early Preschool Teacher

Meet Ms. Stephanie, Early Preschool Lead Teacher at La Petite Academy in Lansdale, PA. She has been with La Petite for 19 years and was also awarded the Northeast Region Teacher of the Year in 2017! Read our Q&A to learn more about this amazing member of our team!

Tell us some more about your background!

When I started working at La Petite, I was looking for a new career path. I started going to college and I wasn’t thrilled with my choice at the time, so I started working at La Petite just as a floater and a substitute before going back to school. I switched over to elementary education and early childhood education at college after that. I was working back and forth over the holidays and it just went from there. After I graduated from college, I jumped up to the early preschool room. Nineteen years later, here we are!

What are some of your favorite activities to do with your students?

I’m very hands-on and I like to get messy. We like cooking in our class. Every winter we have a stone soup day, so I make sure everybody brings in some vegetables and we all make soup. In the spring we like to play in the dirt and get muddy. Pretty much anything that involves getting messy.

Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

I am involved in a community service organization and that takes up a pretty good chunk of my time. I also work weekends at a small tearoom in the kitchen. I like to cook and bake.

What has been one of your favorite accomplishments from the last 20 years at La Petite?

I want to say it was that Northeast Region Teacher of the Year award. It was one of those very unexpected things that happened when there were some things going on in my personal life. It just put everything into perspective. Once I started thinking about the extent of the award and reading what Katie, my director, had written, I felt very touched.

How did you find out you had received that award?

There was a little ceremony. All the kids came into the classroom, they gave me flowers and presented me with the award. All the kids had written cards in all the classrooms. It was very cool.

If you could have anybody come and read a book to your students, who would it be?

My class, we are all Philadelphia Eagles fans, and I think, I would say either Carson Wentz or Zach Ertz.

Why have you decided to stay at La Petite for all these years?

The kids. I know this age group can be a little tough at times since they’re growing and trying to be more independent, but they’re still young. It’s exciting and new, though, and it’s nice to come in in the morning and have children come running up to you with a big smile and a hug. Nineteen years goes by fast! The kids make it all worthwhile.