Is it too soon to start talking about back-to-school season? About youngsters with lunch boxes walking to school on crisp autumn mornings? 

Probably not. At The Auburn Preschool, located at the Park Avenue Methodist Church, 439 Park Ave. in Auburn, things are gearing up fast. Very soon now, 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds will start filling playgrounds and classrooms at The Park Avenue school. When that happens, teachers will be far too busy with lessons and projects to answer questions from the likes of us.

We caught up with teacher Louise Levesque Nunn and asked her what it’s like to work with the youngsters. And a few other things.

What is The Auburn Preschool and why do people love it so? The Auburn Preschool is a safe warm and nurturing environment where being a child can be both fun and exciting. I think people love us because we recognize two very important things that parents want for their pre-k children. One is creating a program that allows children to discover their world through play and interaction with others, and the second thing is teaching their young students the skills they will need to become successful as they move on to kindergarten. Simply put, parents love us because we love and treat their children as if they were our own.

What is the hardest part of teaching kids that age? This is a tough question. Teaching kids this age is the most rewarding thing that I can imagine doing. Although it can be hard, it’s probably not hard in the way you might think it is. It is hard because it can be exhausting, it’s hard because it can be frustrating. But mostly it’s hard because we are committed to doing the best job that we can do for every child, and that takes time, energy, preparation, communication, etc. Getting all that done can certainly be difficult, but it is absolutely worth every challenging moment as we watch a child learn and grow due in part to the energy our teachers bring to the job.

What is the funniest part? The funniest part is simply the hilarious things that we hear children say. They surprise us daily with the interesting and funny stories they tell us!

Do you think I was a good student when I was young? I think you were most likely a very curious, bright young man with a fun, mischievous side to you.

How has teaching changed since you got started? Well, I have had the privilege of being an early childhood educator for the past 26 years and my colleagues Maureen Goode, Julie Farnsworth and Kaitlyn Strout have been teaching for 18, 10 and 2 years respectively, so we have seen many changes. I would have to attribute the biggest change to the amount of general knowledge that students have as they enter our pre-k programs. Many children are already exposed to technology and the world around them in a way that was not available to them 20 years ago.