Deborah Thomas, lead infant teacher at the WilliamL.ClaySr.EarlyChildhoodCenter at Harris-StoweStateUniversity, described her teaching style as caring and compassionate.
“Sometimes, they may not mind being here,” Thomas said of the infants, “but they may need you to hold them a little bit longer. They may need you to spend a little bit more time with them.”
She enjoys reading and singing to the infants, ranging in age from six weeks to one year. Upon request, she animatedly sang her own rendition of the nursery rhyme “I’m a Little Teapot.”
“They get so excited, and their little eyes get so big, because you have to kind of play the part,” Thomas said. “I really want our babies to form a desire for learning.”
Thomas is the recipient of the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2013 PNC Early Childhood Education Award. On Friday, September 13, she will be honored at the Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala, held at the America’s Center Ballroom, along with 2013 Lifetime Achiever Lynn Beckwith Jr., 2013 Stellar Performer Art McCoy and others.
Thomas’ workday begins promptly at 6 a.m. She greets each infant every morning and encourages them to do the same with each other, in an effort to teach them good manners.
She wants to help the infants develop respect for people, particularly their parents, and to instill in them an appreciation for the people who support them. She knows the best way to accomplish her goal is to lead by example.
“With infants, they do what they see you do,” she said. “They learn by example.”
Patricia Johnson, director of the center, said Thomas never misses a day of work and has to be reminded to take a vacation.
Thomas is dedicated to her infants – the “Wonderful Watermelons,” as they are referred to at the center. In her classroom, she affectionately grasped 10-month-old Caydence’s hands as she tried to walk in her hard-bottomed white shoes.
“They’re like your own,” she said. “We grow to really love them.”
However, she stressed that she isn’t trying to take the parents’ place. “What we really try to do is assist the parents in the growth of their child,” she said.
Thomas insists on having an open-door policy with the parents, who might be apprehensive about leaving their young child in the care of strangers.
“We tell them, ‘Stop in anytime you like,’” she said. “We try to make them feel as comfortable as possible.”
Thomas began working for the center in April 2010 as an infant teacher assistant. Her son, Jonathan, suggested she apply for the position. At the time, her son was a business student at Harris-StoweState University and employed at the center.
After only one year, she was promoted to lead infant teacher. She said working at the center influenced her decision to pursue a career in early childhood education.
“I wanted to learn more about the children I came in contact with on a daily basis,” she said.
She is currently enrolled at Harris-Stowe, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. She has an associate’s degree in human services from St. Louis Community College.
Although she has had a number of jobs over the course of her life, she has found her niche in early childhood education.
“The more I interacted with the children,” she said, “I found there was a great reward in training a child and seeing them grow.”
The 2013 Salute to Excellence in Education will be held 7 p.m. Friday, September 13 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $85 each/$850 table, and VIP/Corporate tickets are $1,500 table. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.stlamerican.com and click on Salute to Excellence, or call 314-533-8000.
