Midori Collins: 'For me, it's just sharing knowledge'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preschool teacher Midori Collins, also known as Ms. Mimi, loves working with children of all ages. But she's particularly drawn to working with young children.

 

“I’ve had the experience of working with kids up to the 8^th grade and also special ed and I just found that my, I want to say like calling was this age group. I just like the rawness and laying the foundation of their education," Collins said during an interview with the MPUSD Communications Department.

 

 

Collins works with three to five year olds at Marina Child Development Center. Her classroom is filled with real-world tangible learning tools and plenty of creative spaces.

 

“We use a lot of open-ended questions, a lot of open-ended activities, and for them to explore their own self, with their own creativity. You know and that’s what I love about the curriculum that we have. It’s really helpful at this age because there’s no right or wrong way, it’s at their own pace," Collins said.

 

Collins knows she is likely the first school teacher outside of the home to interact with her students. It's a responsibility she takes very seriously. 

 

“For me, it's just sharing knowledge. I want to be able to make a difference and you know that’s my way of giving back to life in general, giving back to the community and giving back to our families," Collins said.

 

Collins has been working at MPUSD for a total of 21 years, seven of them being at Marina CDC. She previously held positions at Ord Terrace Elementary School, Seaside Child Development Center and Cabrillo. Originally from Los Angeles, she's proud to now call the Central Coast her home and to serve students on the Monterey Peninsula.

 

“I think they all have special moments there at each site because it's always different wherever you are. Kids are kids everywhere that I go. So you know I get different experiences," Collins said.

 

She says she's grateful for the support she gets from MPUSD administration and from her colleagues at Marina CDC.

 

"I'm glad to be a part of this district. I've watched them grow from being here for a while, they've grown in a lot of ways. We get so much support from our superintendent, from our assistant superintendent, from everyone that's helped supervising our admin with pre-k," Collins said.

 

This school year, Collins says she hopes to make up for some of the learning time that was lost during the pandemic and to continue helping her young learners find their way to kindergarten.