By Adrienne Lomangino, Head Teacher and Pedagogical Specialist
The mission of Bing Nursery School, broadly speaking, is to promote understanding of child development and improve the lives of young children. An integral part of this mission is to serve as a site for teaching and supporting undergraduate students interested in learning about early education and young children’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. Bing staff have taught psychology classes and human biology to Stanford undergraduates, and the school also welcomes federally funded work-study students. The students who take classes, like Psych 147: Development in Early Childhood, deepen their understanding of how to support young children’s development while also serving as valued contributors to the classroom community.
As a Stanford sophomore, Matthew Treviño, ’24, was the first work-study student to return to Bing after the pandemic closure. He was already working in a biology lab and had a science-focused course load, but working at Bing enabled him to explore future career interests, while enjoying experiences that contrasted with the stresses and scientific rigor of the lab and related coursework. “I thought it would fit well into my career trajectory in terms of medicine,” he said, “to both interact with children and see whether it’s a field that I would have interest in, whether it’s pediatrics or anything dealing with children.” Matthew was drawn to Bing for other reasons as well: “After initially joining, I think just the joy.” He explained, “A lot of my Stanford work was very biology-heavy and very STEM-heavy, and the positive interactions on a daily basis were a great kind of pick-me-up.”
During his two years at Bing, Matthew worked as an aide for an individual child and as a student teacher for an entire group, first in East Room and then in the Friday Twos class. Since the Friday Twos class only met once a week, he could be present for each of their classes. He enjoyed forming a close connection with an individual child and the chance to have “special interactions” with a wider group of children.
As a freshman, Matthew began working on a project in the biology lab with Dr. Naima Sharaf. The project has focused on identifying characteristics of a specific protein in bacterial membranes by using X-ray crystallography. After devoting three years to the project, he is looking forward to publishing their findings.
As a Gates Scholarship recipient, Matthew participated in leadership conferences for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund throughout his time at Stanford. These conferences, organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, introduced him to students on a “similar trajectory” and furthered his interests in health care and related fields.
Beyond his career aspirations, Matthew believes his time at Bing has better prepared him to be a parent someday. “It’s taken me some time to kind of warm up,” he says of being with young children, “and then they also get to warm up.” Interacting with the children has fostered “a softer side of myself that I’ve been able to bring out a little bit more, and I think it will serve me well when I have a child of my own.” Matthew’s other takeaway from being at Bing? “Although there are milestones, each child is on their own trajectory.”
Michael Peters, ’24, arrived at Bing not through work-study but by enrolling in Stanford courses. As a human biology major, he first took Human Biology 4Y, which focuses on observation of children. Next, Michael explains, “I got the opportunity to take Psych 147 [Development in Early Childhood] here, to really focus on the beginning portion of development, and just fell in love with it.” After completing those courses, he wanted to continue working at Bing and was hired as a teaching assistant, starting in the Twos classroom, and then in East AM.
Reflecting on his experiences, Michael noted, “I love seeing the growth in the development and seeing how patterns of learning really occur from a young age. Children think so differently than the way that we do. Seeing that directly in front of me helps me be more creative and alters my thinking a little bit.” Bing provided a valuable crucible for shaping his perspectives on children. “Even in Twos, I found myself super impressed. I was like, ‘I’ve never known that children this young can do these sorts of tasks.’”
Michael also worked in a lab within the Office of Community Engagement at Stanford Medicine. The office, he says, operates as a bridge between Stanford Medicine and local communities with the aim of conducting research targeted at needs identified by the communities it is intended to serve. The word “community” has particular importance for Michael. “What I am really interested in at Stanford is helping build community, and I feel like Bing is a part of that. It’s helping build the new generation of the Stanford community in a lot of ways.”
After graduating, Michael moved to Atlanta, where he is pursuing a master’s degree at Emory University in behavioral health education and social sciences and earning a certificate in epidemiology and maternal and child health.
Michael has a clear sense of how his experiences at Bing will continue to shape his future as a clinician: “You can’t just say there’s a one-size-fits-all way to teach a child. You also can’t say there’s a one-size-fits-all way to interact with a child. Some children might not want to talk, and other children might be talking all the time. You have to find different ways to connect with the child and let them know that they’re in a safe space and can be comfortable around you. … Each child is definitely a different case. There’s such a need for people who aren’t just textbook smart, who actually tune in to every single person, every single patient they talk to. And so, what I’m hoping to bring into the health care sphere is knowing how to interact with a plethora of different people, a cluster of different age groups, and—if I’m working with children—being able to address their needs individually instead of going based on the textbook answer.”
Bing’s bond with Stanford students is not built because they intend to become early childhood educators. Rather, it develops as a result of their joining our community, for one semester or a couple of years, and then following paths, both personal and professional, that will positively impact the lives of children. Matthew and Michael are just two examples of the rich learning and relationships that grow in our classrooms—and we look forward to nurturing many more students in the years to come.