Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Thomas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Confidence was not something I possessed naturally. Being diagnosed with ADHD at a young age did not set me up for success with building confidence either. As a child with ADHD, I spent my childhood easily frustrating adults around me. When you consistantly feel like you are frustrating others, you feel like an inconvenience. If anything, it lowered my self-esteem and it would be a journey to get to where I’m at today, feeling more than capable and loving what I do. My journey to developing confidence and self-esteem started in the classroom. I spent the first five years of my career as a teacher in the early childhood setting. During this time, I overcame the typical classroom challenges educators face their first years in the classroom. The lack of self-care, not drawing boundaries, and classroom managment. After that, I felt that I was ready for the next step which was administration. Transitioning from running a classroom to running a school brought the most challenging learning curve but embedded underneath were the most valuable lessons. One of the biggest things I learned to do that developed my self-esteem was to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I think naturally, many of us want to know how to do something before we perform it. We love to stay in our comfort zones. We’re confident in our comfort zones. But what happens when you get pushed out there before you feel that you’re ready? Fight or flight? Fear of mistakes? Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is important because it allows you to challenge yourself and build your skills no matter the situation. Think about it, when being uncomfortable no longer phases you, you can handle anything.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Currently, I serve as the Assistant Director of Little Sunshine’s Playhouse and Preschool of Overland Park, KS. I focus on Early Childhood curriculum and teacher training. At Little Sunshine’s we foster a Reggio Emilia inspired practice and teaching philosophy. Reggio is an open-ended approach to learning, meaning there is no end-product forced on children. I love teaching Reggio to educators because it encourages them to think outside the box when it comes to their lesson plans and creating autonomy in our youth. Originally, I thought I was going to settle on Elementary Education. That is until I found a part time job as a teaching assistant at an early leaning center and fell in love with the big relationships I built with little minds. Early Childhood Educators have the hardest, but most important job. When eighty percent of the brain develops by the age of three, we have a have a lot of responsibilty on our shoulders as educators. At this first school I worked at, I learned the values of servant based leadership in schools. After several years of classroom teaching, I became passionate about teaching what I learned. This meant pursuing a leadership role and training educators on what Early Childhood Education is about. This meant teaching developmentally appropriate practies, the devlopmental domains that make up the whole child, curriculum, and classroom managment.
I feel that the most special part about being a teacher is leaving behind a legacy of relationships built with children. The world expects so much of children sometimes. Educators should be here to foster children that aren’t afraid to make mistakes and we do that through building meaningful relationships in the classroom. The most special part about my current role? Training educators on how to execute meaningful and purposeful early childhood activities. But most of all, getting to help educators build confidence in their classrooms and the tools to give children the best education possible.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first quality is having a growth mindset. This is done through self-reflection and being a teachable person. Nobody is above growth. Think about how much you can stunt your own growth by not being teachable or thinking you know everything there is to know? Even in a leadership role, I continue to learn from my fellow educators and administrators every day. The next time you are recieving feedback, let go of your ego and be teachable.
The second quailty is flexibility. This could mean several things. You need to be able to accept change and pivot your plan when needed but also, be able to wear different hats during the day. As leaders, we work with a lot of different personalities. You need to be flexible in how you communicate with different people. The way I talk with one teacher is not the way I talk to another.
The third is don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s easy to get caught up in self-induced stress. Maybe something didn’t turn out the way you wanted. Did it get turned in on time? Did it pass? Take the win and self-reflect on how you can make it better next time.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My first time teaching in an Early Learning Center, My director, Elsie Thurman. Over the next seven years, we would continue to work together at different schools. Elsie is almost a different breed of human. A master at tough love, and a leader who focuses on taking care of people. The biggest lesson I learned from her was staying calm in the middle of a storm. No two days look alike when it comes to running a preschool. Being able to go with the changes that get thrown at you during the day, while staying calm and coming up with the next best solution is something I’ve observed in her since day one. This has helped me be successful in leading through difficult situations.
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