By Mason Layne ’28
“Mr. Layne, she won’t share the yellow crayon with me!”
On a chilly morning last February, one of my kindergarten students in the Blue Room at the University of Maryland Center for Young Children (CYC) was getting increasingly upset and frustrated. It was my second semester as a student aide at the CYC. When I first started, I discovered that working with kindergarten students was completely different from what I was used to, having worked mostly with upper elementary students. One thing I was starting to realize was that young children need a lot of guidance with communication and collaboration with their peers and that this was something I could model as a student aide.
I told the student, “You could say, ‘May I use that when you are done?’” Following this simple suggestion, the student got an answer from their friend, and the problem was resolved. By the end of the school year, I witnessed many of my students using their communication skills much more consistently. I learned that even simple interactions with peers can become a learning experience where children develop social-emotional skills that will help them succeed in school and in their lives.
This experience reminded me of why I want to become an educator. Seeing firsthand the impact I have on students and their growth makes me excited to see what I can do in the future as a teacher.
As a current junior, I am working towards my undergraduate degree in elementary education, while minoring in education policy, equity and justice. I’ve always wanted to be an elementary school teacher. After realizing how much of an impact my teachers had on me, I wanted to do the same thing for the next generation of students.
Working at the CYC is the perfect fit because it gives me the valuable opportunity to develop my classroom management, lesson planning and critical thinking skills. As a student aide, I work hands-on with the students with early literacy and math, assist teachers with lessons, maintain a clean classroom, oversee nap time and help students process their feelings and work together.
After more than a year of working at the CYC, I have learned that teaching is more than just delivering a lesson. Teaching is about understanding students, building relationships and creating a comfortable learning environment. During my time at the CYC, my patience has grown, and so has my confidence as a teacher. I have learned so much about myself and the kind of educator I want to be. I want my future classroom to be a place where students are not only taught academics but also how to communicate with one another, advocate for themselves and solve conflicts.
I am excited to continue working at the CYC and look forward to taking those experiences into my own classroom.
Photo by Sofia Foster
