A westbound Las Vegas pedagogue who teaches small kids received a large grant connected Monday.
Connie Johnson, a preschool teacher astatine Piggott Academy of International Studies, received the 2026 Nevada Early Educator of the Year grant from the Nevada Department of Education. She earned the favoritism on with Kyleigh Abittan, an aboriginal puerility location visitant successful Reno.
To grant her achievement, Johnson received $500 and gifts from the acquisition materials retailer Lakeshore Learning.
“Early puerility educators are integral to gathering the beardown world foundations our youngest learners request to execute lifelong success,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Victor Wakefield successful a statement. “This designation elevates the dedication, hard work, and profound interaction of these educators who service arsenic the anchor of some our schoolhouse strategy and our communities.”
Johnson teaches kids ages 3 done 5 successful her preschool class, she said, including students with developmental delays. She has worked successful Piggott Academy for 2 years and the Clark County School District for five.
“No substance however challenging each time is, it’s large to spot the curiosity, and each time magic happens successful here,” Johnson said. “I emotion the situation of being capable to fig retired however to assistance each idiosyncratic pupil conscionable their needs, conscionable their goals and conscionable who they’re expected to be.”
Johnson said she uses the “power of play” to get her astir 3 twelve pre-K students to learn. Hand puppets, woody gathering blocks and a market store check-out enactment are stationed astir Johnson’s classroom, and student-made creation hangs proudly connected the walls.
“A batch of kids successful aboriginal childhood, that’s however they larn is done the powerfulness of play. It’s however they make societal affectional skills, however they make literacy, however they make mathematics, however they make relationships with 1 another,” Johnson said.
Johnson besides engages kids successful inquiry-based learning, she said, letting students travel their curiosities done asking questions and uncovering the answers arsenic a class.
By combining the 2 techniques, Johnson, said, “it truly helps them beryllium who they’re meant to beryllium and to instill that instauration of a emotion of learning truthful that they are lifelong learners.”
“I person seen students who person been successful aboriginal puerility with maine and, due to the fact that of that instauration of pre-K, they’re thriving present successful the older grades,” Johnson said. “It’s conscionable astonishing to spot however good they’re doing.”
Contact Spencer Levering astatine slevering@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0253.
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