VIDEO: How a Detroit preschool teacher tries to meet her students’ needs

Dawn Bruce, a prekindergarten teacher in Detroit’s main district, fondly remembers her own first-grade teacher, Miss Kessler, who treated her students as if they were her own children.

Decades on, Miss Kessler remains a touchstone for Bruce, who strives to nurture her four- and five-year-old students in much the same way.

“I want them to know they’re loved, and that they’re safe,” said Bruce, who has been teaching for 26 years. “I teach children that from day one. I’m a safekeeper. If they feel safe, they are more inspired to participate and to learn what they need to learn.”

Bruce recently spoke with Chalkbeat about how she assesses and works to meet the needs of her students, and why she sometimes feels like a rock star on the school yard. The interview is part of Chalkbeat’s “story booth” series that invites students, educators and parents to discuss their experiences in Detroit schools. Do you know someone who has a story to share? Reach out to us.