Oftentimes in life, we take different paths than we originally intended. Jeanette Keath, a preschool teacher at Christ the King (CTK) Lutheran School, is a prime example. She was a churchgoer at Christ the King Lutheran Church and working at Weight Watchers When her life goal became clear, 25 years ago, AFTER she was asked to help teach pre-k for the school.
Keath had been working for Weight Watchers part-time and was looking for a second part-time job. “A friend of mine told me that Christ the King was looking for someone to help with the kids,” she says. “So I came out and interviewed, and the woman [who interviewed me] said they had an opening for Mondays and Wednesdays. I already worked Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so I told them that if they wanted to change it to Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’d do it. So they changed it.”
In 2002, after 120 hours of training throughout the first few years of her teaching career at CTK School, Keath received her Childhood Development Associate Credential, a widely recognized accreditation in early childhood education, at State Technical Institute at Memphis (now known as Southwest Tennessee Community College).
Now a full-time teacher, Keath has an interactive approach with her children and uses a play-based learning technique, where play is the central focus of learning. “I have found that 3-year-olds don’t want to sit at a table and do worksheets,” Keath says. “They’re too young for that.”
Keath utilizes process-focused art as part of her play-based learning technique. “[My students] are invited to use lots of different media of art materials to cut and glue their own works,” she says. “That’s the kind of art I like them to have. It’s called process art. The emphasis is more on the process — and they’re using their hands and sensory systems — rather than what the outcome is.”
She also teaches children through repetition. “We use a calendar every day, and this is how the children learn to count,” says Keath. “They’re learning to recognize the numbers. This is rote memorization.” This technique is also used to teach them how to recognize and spell their own and their classmates’ names.
Keath covers all bases by also teaching students shapes, colors, memorization skills, and even virtues like sharing, taking turns, and patience, through group games and activities.
Ultimately, Keath knows teaching pre-k at CTK is her life’s calling. “It’s exactly where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing,” she says. “You find a job like that, and you want to do that forever. It’s not always easy. It’s hard like any other job. But it’s worth it to see the kids move on and grow.”
The parents of Keath’s students believe she’s where she’s supposed to be, too. “I have parents who will say, ‘You’re not retiring any time soon, are you? We’ve got a younger child, and we want him to take your class,’” she says. “That’s always the ultimate compliment — when a parent loves and appreciates what you did with one child and now wants their younger child to get the same experience.”
Although her husband would like to do some traveling when Keath retires, she plans to stay in the field as long as she can. “Even after I retire, I might try substitute teaching or maybe writing a blog coming up with ideas for other teachers,” she says. “I have been so blessed with other teachers [on Pinterest] sharing ideas with me, and I’d love to give back.”
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