Leslie Ziegler
Leslie Ziegler, afternoon teacher, has been teaching for 25 years. She has been teaching at WRNS since 1999. Mrs. Ziegler earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursery/Kindergarten Education and a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Connecticut. She chose to teach at WRNS because she shares the school’s preschool education philosophy of basing its curriculum on age-appropriate activities.
Another aspect of WRNS that appealed to Mrs. Ziegler is what she described as the “warm and giving community” from which our students come. Mrs. Ziegler believes that the quality of WRNS’s program is a direct result of parent/caregiver involvement in, and support for, the school.
Mrs. Ziegler loves preschoolers’ enthusiasm, motivation to learn and sense of wonder. She notes that one of the biggest challenges for preschoolers is separation anxiety. Mrs. Ziegler taps into her many years of experience to reach out to those children and help them feel comfortable in a new and different environment.
When asked to share a special story about WRNS, Mrs. Ziegler recounted a week when her students were playing post office. She gave them the opportunity to dress up like postal workers and to “write” and mail letters. One child wrote letters all week to cheer up his Papa, who was sick, and talked to Mrs. Ziegler about how scared and sad he was. Mrs. Ziegler was touched by the boy’s concern for his Papa, and was grateful that the boy had an opportunity to express himself.