Loraine Starc Horner

I've been in education since 1974, teaching different types of students across high school, junior high, and now preschool. Currently, I work three days a week as a substitute teacher at All Kids Academy Head Start, where I'm considered a teacher with California credentials in child development. Sometimes I'm the teacher, sometimes the teacher assistant, depending on who shows up that day. My typical day involves greeting parents and kids, having breakfast, teaching them to brush their teeth, circle time where we tell them what we're going to do for the day, outdoor play, lunch, naps, snack, and more circle time and outdoor play. We're trying to get the kids ready for kindergarten, and their social skills are so important - these kids need socialization. I've taken a lot of courses and am learning about challenging behaviors in younger children, trying to get as much information as I can. I try to help support the parents and give them guidance too, and I always put positive reinforcement in there - if I have to say something negative, I put a couple positive things for one negative. Beyond teaching, I'm also an artist and sell my artwork periodically when I get the creative urge. I've had art shows here in California and managed to get into the prestigious Butler Art Institute show. My last collage sold for $900. I was also a docent at the Akron Art Museum through the Women's Art League when I lived in Ohio.