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Stranger Danger: An Important Lesson At Preschool

Written By: Jeanie Chang

Photo via safeguard-1.com

I picked up my son from preschool on Monday and the teacher asked my three year old before leaving to show me something.  My curiosity was piqued.   She had him stand before her and asked him a question, " Hi there, can I give you some candy?"  My son immediately fell to the ground on his behind and started kicking his legs shouting "stranger danger, stranger danger, stranger danger!"  I was wowed.  My son's preschool teacher turned to me and said that the kids learned about safety today and keeping away strangers!  She went on to explain that it's harder to take children while having a tantrum and it would stir attention so that protects them.  My son's teacher also told me that they explained to the kids that adults should not have to ask kids for help because they can help themselves.  For example, she also asked my son, "I need help finding my dog, could you help me?"  Of course, my son was glad to get on his behind once again and yell "stranger danger, stranger danger, stranger danger!"

What a great lesson my three year old son learned at preschool!  I was really impressed.  I know all preschools/schools teach the kids about being safe and staying away from strangers, but this was the first time I had seen this kind of demonstration from any of my children and believe me, I've spent many years at preschool.   My son is at a new preschool this year and if it didn't win me over before, it does now.

I wouldn't care if this is all my son took away from preschool this year because this is so important.  He also happens to be the most outgoing and fearless child in the family, what with being the fourth child and all, so this lesson is even more significant.  How has your preschooler been taught about stranger danger or have they even been taught about it?   Maybe they have but your child didn't take away much from that lesson so they didn't share it with you.  I suggest you ask your preschool whether they teach stranger safety to kids and how they do it.  I think it is important to be incorporated into a preschool curriculum.  However, they do have summer camps here in North Carolina that focus on teaching incoming Kindergarten students about safety so they are prepared for elementary school.  You can see if there are summer camps available in your area that do the same. 

If you're wondering, my son's preschool teacher told me she learned about this technique on the Oprah Show!

Turning Back to School Stress Into Success!

Wriiten by: Jeanie Chang

I don’t know about you, but whenever I think of back-to-school, I get a little anxious and stressed and not really for my kids! You’d think I would be anxious and stressed on behalf of my four children and the fact they’re entering a new grade with a new teacher and encountering new students in their class they do not know. But I’m anxious and stressed because I know it means more work for me mentally (helping with homework, being disciplined in keeping up their piano and violin practices, chauffeuring them to their soccer practices, etc) and not knowing what to expect.

However, I’m realizing that as my children get older they are also experiencing anxiety and stress about going back to school even though they don’t quite it express that. (They are ages 10, 8, 6 and 3) This year, I’ve decided to focus on turning” stress into success” in my household! The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) offers these five simple tips for you to guide your children to help them adjust:

1. Branch out – Friends are the main concern for our children (and us!) when entering a new class or school. If you child is younger, organize a playdate at a local park or playground with other parents with children the same age. When my son started Kindergarten last year, that’s exactly what I did with another mom. Together, we got 8 Kindergarten boys together with their moms for a playdate at a nearby park a few days before school started so we could all get acquainted. If you have a tween or teen, encourage him/her to participate on a sports team or school club so they can build friendships with those who have common interests or hobbies.

2. Celebrate Past Success - If your child is going to a new school, remind him/her that many things will stay the same. For example, if you have an incoming Kindergartener, tell him/her there will be a teacher and recess time just like in preschool as well as some friends going to the same school.

3. Plan and Practice – Many children are reassured by routines. If your child is elementary school age, you can do a run-through to show your child how to find their classroom and the bathroom as well as the cafeteria, etc. My 1st grader is in the main school building this year and our school has a “Meet The Teacher” day two days before the start of school so that’s when I’ll be doing a dry run-through for him to see where everything is. If your child is older, you can schedule a tour of the school beforehand or even map out where their classes are located.

4. Meet the Teacher – As mentioned above, some schools have an organized “Meet the Teacher” day so they can get acquainted with their teacher before school starts. If your school does not, it’s a good idea to plan a meeting with your child’s new teacher so he/she will feel less intimidated knowing the teacher is now a familiar face.

5. Think and Act Positive – Make sure you are positive and upbeat about the change your child is experiencing, even if you are feeling some apprehension yourself. You being positive will help your child feel confident! This is something I really try to focus on as I’m nervous and stressed myself about back-to-school, but if I show my kids my anxiety, they’d only feel anxious too and that’s the last thing I want!

For us moms, here are some tips I suggest you use to prevent back to school stress:

1. We all get stressed about back to school shopping for supplies (and clothes). Why not make your life easier and purchase a school supply kit? That's what I do! My school uses SchoolKidz and we can order school supply kits ahead of time. For example, last May when my daughter was in fourth grade, I ordered a fifth grade school supply kit. That's all there was to it and it was ready to be picked up at Meet the Teacher a couple days prior to the first day of school! Check it out at www.schoolkidz.com .

2. When you see your teacher at Meet the Teacher or before the start of school, ask if you can get her contact email if it isn't already offered in their welcome letter. Teachers are more than willing to give it to you and it makes you feel better knowing you can contact your teacher when needed. One note: Don't stalk your teacher and ask needless questions because it makes him less willing to talk to you.

3. Go over bus safety and etiquette. Your child's school day begins and ends on the school bus so it's important to ensure they have a good experience. Get to know your bus driver and communicate with him/her as often as needed about any red flags you see. For example, some of the headaches I encountered last year happened on the bus. Your child may have a conflict with another student or vice versa and it happens on the bus. Always ask your child what happened so you’re clear on what happened. If you need to intervene, first talk to the bus driver. When it requires more serious action (which it did in my case), go straight to the Ass. Principal.

4. Have a family meeting several days before school to lay out a few ground rules. This is a perfect time to talk about homework rules, activities, bedtime disciplines (which is always an issue after a long summer) and snack and lunch habits. It’s a great time to communicate with your children and create an understanding between you. Much of the stress and anxiety I experience is my expectations of my children when school starts so this is the time you can share them.

5. Buy a family planner and get organized together. I can’t wait to implement this in my family. My husband and I do a lot of tag-teaming where he’ll take two kids and I’ll take two kids to various activities and events so we both need to know where the other is and where the kids are at what time and which place. A family planner can help you be less of a frazzled mom. I’ve heard great things about Anna Knapp’s Family Organizer. (www.familyorganizer.com)

If all else fails, keep in mind that your kids are now going to be in school all day (or part of the day if you have a preschooler) which means you’ll have more free time during the day and get some of your sanity back!

By: Jeanie Chang

A School Principle + Mommy | Rebekah Kim

Written by: Rebekah Kim
Photos of Rebekah Kim's family

I am in my 10th year of education and am almost to the end of my 5th year of being a principal of an elementary school of 550 children (K-6). I attended a total of 7 years of college at University of Washington, ending with my Master of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. I am now pursuing my doctorate in education to broaden my experience with more research-based methods to improve my instructional leadership. During my principalship I have had two children. Balancing motherhood, marriage and my career is a lot of work. Having a supportive and helpful husband has been essential. I find stress relief in exercise and spending time relaxing with my family.

Since I have become a principal my advocacy for diversity and equity have grown. I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve on our state principal association's diversity task force as well as district cultural competency committee and am currently helping to work on refining our race and equity board policy.

As a mother, it is has become easier for me to work with parents and think about their perspective when dealing with issues and concerns about what is best for their child while keeping their academic experience at the forefront. Wearind both the parenting and educator hat has been an eyeopener when you align the two. I continue to think "if this were my child's school or I was in the seat of the parent, how would I be feeling?" I continue to be humbled as I work through this daily.

Here is an article that was written about me in a local Asian newspaper a couple of years ago, the International Examiner. I think it does a nice job of summarizing my passion in education:

Principal Rebekah Kim: Advocate of cultural competency and equity in education

Rebekah Kim remembers the experience of feeling like an outsider when she was a student. Having grown up in predominantly Caucasian towns, Kim, a Korean-American, said she was no stranger to being the recipient of racial tokenism and discriminatory remarks when she was younger.

Now a principal at Marvista Elementary School, Kim said she draws upon these experiences in her work as an educator. “I always remember where I came from when thinking about students,” she said.

Kim recently started her third year as principal at the Normandy Park school. On top of pushing for strong academic work from her students, Kim has another goal – boost cultural competency among instructors.

An advocate for cultural competency and equity in education, Kim has focused much of her career on these issues. They were the focus of her Master of Education at the University of Washington. As a teacher in the Tukwila School District and a principal intern at Aki Kurose Middle School and John Stanford International School, she witnessed economic, language and other inequities among her students, she said. In response, she led a cultural competency professional development program and created a cultural competency rubric.

Now, she’s part of the Highline School District’s Cultural Competency Committee and teaches cultural competency workshops to instructors from her school and around the district.

The workshops focus on making educators self-aware of their own backgrounds, privileges and stereotypes before looking at those of students, Kim said. “Otherwise, it’s not meaningful,” she said.

In the long run, the committee plans to train all district staff members, Kim said.

Her own experiences growing up instilled a passion to reject insensitivity to diversity, according to Kim. “That passion just grew as I went to college,” she said.

In the long run, she hopes to see more Asian American leaders in education. “It’s important for students to see leaders who look like them and teachers who look like them,” she said.

Kim is part of a generation of younger educators who are starting to replace retiring baby boomer principals, said BiHoa Caldwell, former principal at Aki Kurose, who described Kim as an energetic and caring educator.

In her early 30s, Kim may be younger than most principals, but her goals aren’t much different. She said she hopes to make Marvista an effective place of learning where her 550 students don’t get lost academically and also a place that holds high expectations for all students, she said.

Kim didn’t always strive to be in education. She started off pursuing a career in broadcast journalism, she said. But her father encouraged her to pursue education because of her love for children, Kim said. And she’s been at it since. “I fell in love with teaching and I knew it was my calling,” Kim said.

We thank Rebekah for allowing us to take a look into her life. If you have any questions for Rebekah, please leave a comment. She'd like to share more topics that you'd be interested in reading about - on the education system and learning. We can't wait to hear from you!

If you'd like to share your story with our Korean American Community,
Please email: [email protected]