Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn

This year, Lyndon Institute’s Career Technical Education department saw a new addition, one long in the making. While many of the school’s CTE programs are geared toward the development of materials and products—such as welding, graphic design, and automotive technology—others, like Allied Health Sciences, are focused on human development. Such is the case for CTE’s newest program: Early Childhood Education.

While teaching high school may be a new experience for program instructor and LI alumna Nichole Ruggles ‘90, she has a long history working with young ones as the founder of Kingdom Montessori School. 

After graduating from LI, Ruggles began her studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts before transferring to the University of Vermont, where she went on to study Communication Science, focusing on speech and language development. It was during this time that she discovered Montessori education, a program based on a philosophy developed by Maria Montessori that emphasizes hands-on learning and child independence in a structured environment.

“I was enrolled in a statistics course. One day, an older woman who was also taking the class asked me to help her out with some of the material, and we found ourselves becoming friends,” said Ruggles. “She also happened to own a Montessori school in Charlotte, so I started working there and ended up training under her for three years. She was getting ready to retire, and I considered taking over the school, but a family accident drew me back to the Northeast Kingdom. Once I got back home, I decided to open my own school in the community I grew up in.” 

Starting in 1998 with nine students in a house on Eastern Avenue in Lyndonville, Kingdom Montessori School quickly grew to twenty students each year. Ruggles sold the program to the Thaddeus Stevens School in 2015, which it still operates today.

Ruggles spent a year at Thaddeus Stevens to help with the transition before moving to a subcontractor position with Nine East Network, drawing upon her UVM degree to work as a Speech and Language Pathology Assistant for the Caledonia North Supervisory Union. 

“It was a great experience,” said Ruggles. “I learned so much about how public schools work and enjoyed collaborating with so many stakeholders, but eventually I felt a calling for a different kind of opportunity.

“I kept seeing the advertisement for the job at Lyndon Institute. I wasn’t sure how qualified I would be, but there was something about it that captured my interest. The idea of developing a successful program from scratch definitely appealed to my desire for growth.”

After some research, Ruggles realized her different experiences in education made her a good fit for the program. 

“I’ve always been passionate about the Montessori philosophy and how it engages learners,” said Ruggles. “In many ways, I try to teach this program like I do Montessori. It’s all based on engaging them as individuals, about creating a box and then expanding as needed and when they are ready.”

The program consists of two courses, both half-day programs that run the full year. Early Childhood Education I (ECE1) is offered during the morning A and B blocks, while Early Childhood Education II (ECE2) is offered in the afternoon during C and D blocks. For both courses, students also receive an English and Social Studies credit for embedded work targeting those subject areas.

A blend of research, study, and field work, ECE1 is open to both juniors and seniors and is designed to begin developing the knowledge and skills students will need to work with children and families. Students are simultaneously enrolled in two Community College of Vermont courses—Introduction to Early Childhood Education in the fall semester and Communication in the Early Childhood Workplace in the spring semester—for which they may receive college credit. 

The course covers a lot of essentials. Students learn basic first aid and CPR skills, as well as what it means to be a mandated reporter with the state. They also focus on developing the kind of soft skills necessary to be successful in a professional environment. But the most exciting part is getting out of the classroom and into the workplace.

“ECE1 helps get students prepared to go into the field and explore different employment options,” said Ruggles. “In Vermont early childhood is defined as birth to age 8, so there are a lot of possibilities.”                  

Starting in the second semester, students embark on a ten-week career exploratory rotation, each week focusing on different learning environments geared toward different developmental stages. They visit various local schools, spending time in kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade classrooms; they spend time in local preschool classrooms. They also visit local early childhood education centers. 
“Traditionally, we’ve called these facilities daycares,” Ruggles explained, “but we have worked toward the new title to emphasize the evolving nature of the profession and to reflect the importance of the work these professionals do.”

During each visit, students complete field study reflections, work that also ties into their CCV courses.

After successful completion of ECE1, juniors move the following year to its companion course, ECE2. Like ECE1, students are enrolled in two more CCV courses—Child Development in the first semester and Supporting Young Children With Diverse Abilities second semester. An important part of their classwork involves learning the language of the standards established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), devising lesson plans, and exploring curriculum produced by the organization Educators Rising.

While students continue classroom work, field work becomes an even more integral part of their learning. Beyond the normal field work, students become eligible to participate in the Vermont Youth Apprenticeship Program, sponsored by the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC), which matches them with a mentor at a local facility. Working up to ten hours a week after school, students get paid for their time while gaining valuable experience in the field.

“As we go through the process of growing the program, it opens up opportunities for them. I’m grateful to our community partners who have been welcoming the students,” said Ruggles. “Working directly in the field, especially with a seasoned mentor is vital. Teaching is learning, and having our students work directly with young ones allows that to happen.”

The work has an additional benefit: making them eligible for a scholarship from VTAEYC through the TEACH (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood Vermont Scholarship Program. For those who qualify and want to continue their studies beyond high school, the TEACH scholarship covers tuition, fees, and books for an Associates Degree through CCV.

Ruggles is excited for the opportunities LI’s program opens up not only for the students themselves but for the community, as well.

“The kind of care children receive between birth and age five really helps set the foundation for life. My hope is that this program inspires our students to offer the best care they can, to choose this kind of job not just because they can do it but because they really believe in it.”

Elevation is an important aspect of the experience for Ruggles. “Traditionally, early childhood care isn’t a field that was valued highly. We’re trying to get them to change that mindset and understand that what they do is so valuable. Part of that is getting them to rise to the challenge. I put a lot of emphasis on professionalism, helping them understand that what they say, how they dress, and how they act in a workplace really matters.” 

Emphasizing that they are not just care providers but educators is another key element. “Our goal is to create teachers prepared to enter the workforce with a rich foundation. The integration of these college courses is a part of that, something will help set them apart.”

While opportunities for field work and community partnerships have been opening up around the area, one of the best sites for Ruggles’s program is literally a short flight of steps away from her classroom.

This year, NEKCA (Northeast Kingdom Community Action) opened a Family Resource Center right on the Lyndon Institute campus on the bottom floor of LI’s historic Matthewson House, directly below Ruggles’s classroom. The center includes a Head Start early child care education program.

“Head Start is a national program that pioneered standards for childcare, so to have them right downstairs is an incredible opportunity for our students,” said Ruggles.

Fellow alumna Michelle Gilman ‘98 operates the Head Start program at the center and is equally thrilled at the partnership.

“I love that LI is doing this,” said Gilman. “Having the students come in and being able to show them what we do so they know ‘this is what it is’—it offers great, real-life experience.”

The center has an infant room in one area, designed for children ages six weeks to eighteen months, with another section for toddlers ages three to five. Gilman also hopes to open a preschool in the near future. The facility is a rich environment, filled with books, toys, and activities. A large enclosed play area sits right outside on the edge of Matthewson Green.

The facility allows Ruggles’s students to shadow educators working with children in several phases of development on a frequent basis. It also provides them with a convenient opportunity to access VTAEYC’s Youth Apprenticeship Program. 

“I have a student apprenticing for an hour and a half just about every day in the afternoon,” said Gilman. “It’s a great chance for her both to earn some extra money and gain experience. I can see her learning more and more every time she comes. I would love to have her year round!”

Gilman, who spent eighteen years working in early child intervention, is hopeful the school’s program will benefit all the area’s providers. “We need more educators in our community. LI’s program is helping its students get a lot of the groundwork they need out of the way in high school so they can hit the ground running. They’ll graduate with more experience and access to higher paying jobs in the field.”

As for the students in the program, they’re excited by what they’ve learned. For Junior Cora Lawson, it offers an opportunity to realize a long-time dream.

“I enrolled in the program because I want to be a first-grade teacher some day,” Lawson explained. “I want to be that safe person for a child, someone who can give them that sense of stability.”

For senior Elizabeth Morse, who has been apprenticing after school with Gilman at NECKA’s LI center, the value was unexpected. “I just signed up because It was there. I had never even thought about being a teacher, but I’ve come to love it. Every day, I get to be with the toddlers, which is the age group I’m most excited to work with. I’ve really bonded with them.”

Both Morse and Lawson cited how much they’ve learned through the program. 

“My favorite part has been learning to make our own lesson plans, then trying them out with the kids downstairs,” Morse said.

“I’ve learned so much about child development,” Lawson added, “and about the need to communicate with everyone.”

Morse agreed. “We’ve learned that so much of communication is about empathy and sympathy.”

The lessons they’ve learned in Ruggles’s classroom have not only helped prepare them for working with children but for the world outside the learning environment.

“I feel much more prepared for the adult world than when I first started,” said Lawson. “Ms. Ruggles has really high expectations for how we carry ourselves. The class has also helped me understand my own learning.”

“This program has opened up my perspective on life outside of school, especially in terms of communication,” Morse added. “I feel like I have a much better understanding of people and why they are the way they are. That’s going to help me no matter where I go or what I do.”