By Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – Chances are if you have young kids, you probably already know Shrewsbury resident Beth McShane.
McShane comes from a family of educators, including her father who was a science teacher for 35 years, and her mother Marilyn Dorey, who owned Doe-Rey-Me Preschool for 43 years in Northborough. She started working with her mother in 1985 and became the director after Dorey passed away. After her father’s death, McShane made the difficult decision to close the preschool, but she has never strayed from her passion of teaching.
She is now site manager at Lincoln Street School in Northborough for the afterschool program, an instructor with LACI Homeschoolers’ Association and an employee at the Northborough Recreation Department, helping coordinate preschool birthday parties, camps and programs.
“I love what I do and love to be with kids and their families,” McShane said. “I have a really good thing going.”
She has always had a real respect for kids.
“They make you laugh every day,” said McShane. “They are funny, happy and eager to learn. They tell it like it is, are innocent and trusting. It is amazing to watch them grow and I am always in awe of how they develop.”
McShane’s parents were her inspiration.
“They are my heroes,” she said. “My mom was the biggest influence; I learned so much from her.”
LACI Homeschoolers’ Association (the acronym stands for Learning, Action, Curiosity and Imagination) provides organized, age-appropriate activities for children to learn and socialize through free play and exploration. It also offers study groups for ages 6-14 that are child-directed and follow the interests of the children in the program. Families meet up once a week at the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury during the school year.
McShane has been involved with teaching the study groups at LACI and has the opportunity to develop her own curriculum. Because it is under a different governing body, there is more flexibility to explore and be creative with curriculum topics that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to do in a public school setting.
“It’s all about the kids,” she said. “They learn best when they are involved in the learning and the learning is hands-on. It’s a beautiful group of families and kids.”
She has been teaching in some capacity in the area for many years, so it isn’t surprising that she has seen kids of former students cross her path.
“I remember little things about all my students,” McShane said. She’s had parents follow up and keep in touch as well.
The start of the school year often brings jitters to both students and parents, especially if it is their first school experience. McShane’s expert advice is to just relax.
“It gets better after October,” she said. “Try not to overbook them in the beginning. Their little bodies are tired, cranky, hungry and irritable after a long day of school if they are not used to a full day. It’s exciting for everyone, but stressful, too. It’s new but can be a source of anxiety for some.”
Another word of advice from McShane is to never show your own nervousness to your child.
“We’re parents, we are going to be nervous,” she said. “Just don’t let the kids see it.”
More information can be found on LACI Homeschoolers’ Association at www.lacihomeschool.org and on programs offered by Northborough Recreation at www.northboroughrecreation.com.