Which schools have the best early childhood teachers?

[Anonymous]

I am most interested in the early grades (prek, K, 1) when I think it's most imporant to have a nuturing and patient teacher. How long has your child's teacher been at your school and how long did she (or he) teach before? Do you find younger/newer teachers better or the older/more experienced teachers better for children in this age group?

[Anonymous]

How about older/less experienced teachers (that's going to be me, I hope, in a year or so!)

[Anonymous]

My child is at Grace Episcopal Day School in Silver Spring. They have a great mix of older teachers with a lot of experience (some have been there between 10 and 20 years) and new, younger teachers (also with a great amount of experience). All of the teachers are so sweet and nurturing... it is obvious they really care about the kids and love what they do for a living.

[Anonymous]

The pre-K and kindergarten teachers at Murch are, in my opinion, a treasure. In particular, two of the kindergarten teachers are veterans and are really a tremendous asset. They really understand young children, and my kids could not have had a better start at ANY school, public or private, than they got at Murch. School for Friends also has fabulous teachers.

[Anonymous]

My child had the most amazing K and 1st grade teachers at St. Patrick's -- and they were both "older" with many, many years of experience. As a former teacher myself I think there is a lot to be said for young new teachers with energy and enthusiasm but I can't imagine having had better teachers than these teachers who have been doing it forever. Of course, it depends on the school, the program, and the individual...