Teacher, Prospect Hill Elementary School, Pelham, NY

For Deirdre Kilkenny-Stein, gratification comes in small packages—and in small but telling moments with her students.

Foundations/Motivations: Earned associate’s degree in child development
Experiences: Did fieldwork as student teacher at elementary school
Results: Teaches grades K-5

Foundations/Motivations

Deirdre did a lot of babysitting when she was growing up. People said she was a natural with kids. But in community college, she pursued an associate’s degree in retail management. One elective short of her degree, she took a course in child development. She loved it. She went on to earn another associate’s, this time in child development. Thanks to a suggestion from a Sarah Lawrence alumnus who headed the center where she did her field placement, Deirdre then enrolled in the dual-degree program at Sarah Lawrence, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s in education.

Undergraduate:

B.A., Sarah Lawrence College (1999)
A.A.S., Early Childhood Development, Westchester Community College (1994)
A.A.S., Retail Management, Westchester Community College (1992)

Work before Sarah Lawrence:

Teacher, four-year-olds, Eastchester Child Development Center (1994–98)

Experiences

After sometimes feeling lost at the community college she attended, Deirdre found the caring professors, the small groups, and the support at Sarah Lawrence helpful to her own learning. When she started student teaching at Central Park East, she implemented some of what she had experienced at Sarah Lawrence, working hard to observe what engaged each student. Discussions with her professors and fellow students gave her insight. So when a girl in Deirdre’s literature group was more interested in music than in reading, Deirdre had her sing the book instead. Success.

Fieldwork:

• Student teacher, Central Park East Elementary School, first and second grade
• Student teacher, Central Park East Elementary School, fifth and sixth grade
• Teacher, five-year-olds, Sarah Lawrence Early Childhood Center (summer program)

Thesis:

“Personal Stories as a Way to Help Children Learn”
Deirdre’s master’s project looked at the importance of developing relationships among students and between students and their teacher as a way to encourage learning. Her project included audiotapes of children sharing stories, and how that inspired them to write. “When you know someone, you know what they’re good at and what they struggle with. There’s much more support and less arguing,” Deirdre explains.

Results

Deirdre enjoyed her student teaching at Central Park East, a progressive public school in Manhattan, so much that she’s still there today. Maybe it’s because CPE has a philosophy of learning that’s similar to Sarah Lawrence’s: small classes, no tests, no textbooks—and an education that’s tailored to each student. Today, Deirdre and another Sarah Lawrence alumnus team-teach second- and third-graders who come from all kinds of backgrounds. Some have special education needs; some don’t. It’s challenging, but Deirdre remembers one of her most important lessons from Sarah Lawrence: “Everybody needs a chance to show what they can do. It’s when they don’t trust their environment that learning won’t happen.”

Further education:

M.S., Education, Sarah Lawrence College (2000)

Career:

• Teacher, Prospect Hill Elementary School, Pelham, NY
• Teacher, Central Park East Elementary School, Manhattan
• Teacher, Westchester Community College (teaching “Foundations in Early Childhood Development”)
• Perceptual development teacher, private practice, Upper West Side (work includes increasing body awareness, developing visual and auditory processes, and strengthening fine and gross motor skills)