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20 Questions With Sharon Carter
by Jeffrey Stanley
“Max, can you close the door please?” Preschool
teacher Sharon Carter sat down with staff
writer Jeffrey Stanley over a low, kid-sized table after school
in the Green Room a few weeks ago for a brief chat.
“These toddler-sized seats must be hard to get used to,” said
Jeff as he squatted into a tiny seat.
“I told you we should have met in the cafeteria,” answered
Sharon with a laugh.
“No, that’s okay. I want to do it here in your classroom.
Really.”
“Are you sure?”
1. How long have you worked at BFS?
I’ve been at BFS for 14 years. When I first came to
Brooklyn Friends, I worked in the afterschool component of the Preschool,
and my hours were 12 to 6. After a period of time, a full time Assistant
Teacher position became available in the Blue Room and I moved into
that. When the Head Teacher in the Blue Room took another job, I
was asked to fill the position and I accepted. I worked in the Blue
Room with three year olds for 12 years, and I’ve worked in
the Green Room with four year olds for the past two years.
2. What did you do before you came here?
I taught
as an assistant preschool teacher at a small private school in Park
Slope, which went on to become a part of Poly Prep. When
I came to that school for my first day of student-teaching, another
teacher had left that same day. They asked me if I would stay as
an assistant teacher, and I said “yes.”
3. Where were you a student?
I first attended
Kingsborough College and then transferred to Medgar Evers College,
where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in
early childhood education. But as every BFS teacher knows, we’re
always learning and we’re always students. During my time here,
I’ve had so many opportunities to take courses, attend conferences
and participate in seminars that have enabled me to grow and challenge
myself as a teacher.
4. Tell me more about that.
I’d be happy to! Last year in June, for example, I participated
in the “Westtown Seminar on Teaching” at the Westtown
School, a Quaker boarding school outside of Philadelphia. You have
to be nominated and chosen to attend this seminar, which made the
opportunity that much more special for me. This is a weeklong experience
for teachers who work from the preschool level all the way through
adult education. When you go to the seminar, you’re not sure
of what you’re going to get out of it, but you come away with
a life-changing experience. The richness of this program is tremendous.
You are there to share, reflect, discover, and look back at the past,
your present, and most importantly, your future. David Mallory runs
the seminar. He has dedicated more than 40 years of his life to professional
development for teachers and administrators, encouraging them to
celebrate and become strong contributors to their school communities.
5. Let’s get back to your growing up years.
Are you a Brooklyn native?
I’m a Brooklyn girl, born and
raised. My parents are from
Panama. My sister and I were born at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital,
which doesn’t exist anymore.
6. Would you ever go live someplace else besides
New York City?
I think that had I ventured out of New York City to attend college,
there might have been a possibility of living elsewhere. For now,
I think I will stay put, unless a mighty great offer is presented
to me.
7. Have you ever been to Panama?
I have been to Panama twice in my life, at the age of 8 and at 18.
I would love to go back again to see the difference between what
I remember and what it looks like now.
8. You’ve been at BFS for a good while now. Why do
you stick around?
It is not often that you find a place
that you can really enjoy working at. I like my surroundings and
the people that I work with. It is enjoyable coming to work. I
love working with children, and it’s a lot of fun to get to know the parents. I
really like our philosophy as well.
9. What’s your favorite part of your job?
Developing the curriculum. At this age anything
you tell them they remember. They’re like sponges. The greatest
reward is when a parent comes back and says, “I didn’t
know that was called a gibbous moon!” I get pumped up and
psyched when the kids learn.
10. You mean there’s an actual curriculum for preschoolers? Don’t
you just sit and sort of keep an eye on them all day?
That’s what many people would think, especially those who are not
familiar with early childhood education. Children have a well-planned
day at Brooklyn Friends Preschool. Play is the work of our children,
and through play they grasp the necessary skills they will need for
concrete cognitive learning. Verbalization and socialization are
also very important components of our curriculum.
11. So what do you teach our four year-olds at Brooklyn
Friends?
We teach the children how to work and play together. We teach them
how to listen carefully and to cooperate with one another. We challenge
them to express themselves verbally, socially and emotionally. We
provide them with meaningful activities that will support the skills
they need to be strong learners as they progress through the grades,
skills such as writing, speaking, counting, and articulating their
feelings. We challenge them intellectually in an age-appropriate
manner. We set a foundation so that they will always love learning.
12. Thanks for the explanation. I have a new appreciation
of the importance of the early years. So tell me, what’s
the worst part of your job?
Sometimes having to talk to
parents about serious issues, behavioral issues or learning differences
their child might have. You
have to alleviate their fears and help make the outcome positive
for the parents and the child.
13. What do you like to do when you’re not at BFS? Hobbies? Passions?
I love music, any kind of music. I also like to cook. I love shopping.
And I have a fetish for shoes.
14. Do you have a favorite New York City restaurant?
Blue
Ribbon in Park Slope. There are two restaurants. There
is the sushi side, and then there is the regular, anything you like
to eat side.
15. So you like sushi?
No! I like the
carnivore side of the restaurant.
16. The dreaded desert island question.
Oh gosh...I would like to have my Bible to keep me going, some water...but
I guess I’d need an endless supply, is there a limit to how much
I can carry?
We can keep it vague.
And some music.
17. What’s one thing that’s always in your
fridge?
Ice cream, always.
18. Which kind?
I love Haagen Daaz butter pecan and chocolate.
19. What’s your sign?
Capricorn.
20. The goat. Do you feel like a Capricorn?
Yes, people tell me I’m stubborn, persistent, and that I come off
as a perfectionist
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