Parkminster Preschool is losing a long time friend and advocate for the rights of the young child. Susan Fuhrman is retiring after 33 years as a teacher and director. There will be an Open House at the preschool from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 for parents, students, teachers or aides who have been there since the fall of 1969. During these years, Fuhrman has had more than 1,100 children pass through her classroom, most of them from the Gates and Chili area. Many of them and their parents are still in the area and are invited to stop in to wish her well in her retirement. Fuhrman started at the preschool when both of her children were in full time school at Washington Irving on Chili Avenue. She had planned to work part time for ten or twelve years. They went off to college and careers; she stayed on out of care and concern for the young child and out of the real sense of accomplishment she felt as the children developed social skills and a sense of self worth. "It has never really been about kindergarten readiness, such as counting and reading," she will tell you, "but rather about developing the child's imagination, awareness of himself/herself, and enjoying the surrounding environment in a 'hands on' style of developmentally appropriate learning." Her dedication to the programs and her willingness to lead the staff in trying new ideas has kept the school full and well respected. She has had many children in the past few years who are the children of her former students, people who still recall fondly their time there. The fathers still sit on the small chairs on Father's Night and remember that this is where they came with their fathers 30 years earlier. In the near future she is planning to travel with her husband to visit some of the places they have put off for the past few years. Then, she says, "I'll still want to be with some people, helping out and offering something of my experience. I'll be looking for someplace to volunteer and share, maybe with kids, maybe with adults." |
