Meet Teacher Betty Chelangatt: Where Stories Help Children Grow

For Teacher Betty Chelangatt, some of the most important lessons a child learns can begin with a simple story.

The Earliest Years

Betty serves as an ECDE teacher at Kimelok Christian School, working with children during the earliest years of their education. ECDE — Early Childhood Development Education — is the stage when young learners are beginning to discover what school is, how to interact with others, and just how exciting learning can be. Betty holds a Diploma in ECDE and brings four years of experience working with young children into her classroom each day.

What makes Betty especially passionate about teaching is the power of storytelling.

To a young child, a story may simply sound entertaining. But Betty sees much more happening. Through stories, children begin to use their imaginations. They learn to listen carefully, ask questions, understand right and wrong, recognize emotions, and see the world through someone else's eyes.

More Than Entertainment

A good story can introduce a new idea. It can teach kindness. It can encourage courage. And sometimes it can help a child discover a love of learning that will stay with them for years to come.

For Betty, these early lessons matter because she knows that education is about much more than preparing children for the next grade. These are formative years when children are beginning to discover who they are and what they are capable of becoming.

She wants her classroom to be a place where curiosity is welcomed, creativity is encouraged, and every child knows that his or her ideas matter.

A Mother's Heart

Betty's heart for children extends well beyond the classroom. She is also the proud mother of three children — two boys and a girl — and says motherhood continues to deepen both her love and her patience for the young learners she teaches.

The lessons she learns at home often follow her into the classroom: children grow at different speeds, they need encouragement in different ways, and sometimes the most important thing an adult can offer is the patience to listen.

Building the Foundation

At Kimelok Christian School, Teacher Betty is helping children build the foundation for everything that will come later — reading, writing, mathematics, friendships, faith, character, and confidence.

And sometimes that foundation begins in the simplest possible way: a teacher gathers her students close, she opens a book, and she begins with the words, “Let me tell you a story.”