FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Stone makes learning fun at Children's Learning Center
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Sarah Stone

Sarah Stone is packed and ready to go. She is headed to Fort Worth next week to soak up all she can at the 43rd annual convention of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children.

This group is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children. And that describes Stone to a T.

Stone, curriculum coordinator for the Children's Learning Center at First Baptist Church of Whitehouse, was honored as Pre-K teacher of the year for the East Texas area. As a part of that honor, her way is being paid to attend the annual convention which is filled with opportunities for educators of young children to develop and hone their skills.

"I love to learn and I love to teach," Stone said. "Attending this conference will give me some great opportunities to add to my bag of tricks."

Stone came to the CLC in October of 2006. She brought with her 20 years of experience in early childhood education.

"I reached a point when I thought I was just burned out and needed a rest," Stone said. "I stayed away for about four years and during that time God showed me I still had work to do."

Sarah Stone cuts out leaves with children at the Children's Learning Center at First Baptist Church.

Stone's philosophy of teaching involves a generous dose of play and imagination. She has spent a great deal of her time recently creating and developing learning centers for the children at CLC.

"It's so important that children have the opportunity to learn through play," Stone said. "We've taken away too much of their play time and given them too much responsibility at too young an age."

Stone continued, "Our children's imagination is being stolen. They are so entertained by video games and TV, they don't know how to play on their own."

Tracy Acker, CLC director, was pleased to nominate Stone for the teacher of the year honor.

"She has a sweet spirit that touches everyone, a sense of humor that lifts our spirits and a wealth of ideas that keeps her classroom interesting," Acker said. "One of the greatest things she has shown our teachers is that learning can be fun. It does not have to be rigid or formal and that exposing the children to as many experiences and new things as possible is readying them for kindergarten and eventually for life."

Some of Stone's creations include a tee-pee for her classroom to experience while studying Indians at Thanksgiving; designed space helmets for the kids to wear while studying space; fashioned penguin costumes for everyone while studying winter and also taught them to make penguin out of Oreo cookies, white icing and orange slices; organized an Elvis Day on Elvis' birthday, including leather jackets, music and electric guitars; a New Year's parade the first week of 2007, complete with baby New Year, a parade marshal, clowns, Miss Texas and a (stick) horse patrol.

"She gives of her time and talents freely for the children," Acker said.

As a single mom, Stone knows the challenge in raising children.

"I'm so blessed with two great daughters and four wonderful grandsons," Stone said. "And I'm double blessed by getting to spend time with them here at CLC."

Being a church-based day care facility gives the teachers and administrators the opportunity to pray with the children and teach them God's promises where the public schools cannot. Stone says that the CLC is "a beacon on a hill without the hill."

"We can teach them skills with a spiritual foundation," she said.

A lot can be read into a name. Stone: a firm foundation, a great building block in the lives of many young children.