Shirley Rumpel works with Lake Dillon Preschool’s 2-year-olds, affectionately referred to as the “Bumblebees.” She has been abuzz in the early childhood field since April.Inspiration: I got my psychology degree in Michigan and was going to go into therapy. But most people’s problems stem from something underlying that impacted them in childhood – that’s where we need to focus.When I came out here, I worked on the mountain, helping young children learn to ski, and I loved it. So, I started at Lake Dillon Preschool when the season ended.

I come home exhausted at the end of the day, but I’m happy and I sleep well. I don’t need an alarm clock to get up in the morning, and I’ve never had that before. I couldn’t be happier.Motivation: There’s this one child – she’s not the most perfect one, but she’s so comical – and her mom says to her in the morning, “Do you want to see Shirley?” And, boom! She gets up. Her mom told me that, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. Things like that really pull at my heart.It’s also great to watch each child grow – their vocabularies, their gestures, their coordination. You can tell their brains are hard at work trying to come up with ways to communicate with each other.I was home for two weeks over Thanksgiving, and when I came back, it was so different. One girl used to tip over every time she went to pick something up. Now, her balance is really good.

Philosophy: Young children learn best through play. That’s something the school really emphasizes, and we all stand behind that attitude. There’s no one correct way to do an art project.challenges: Not being able to spend enough time with each child. I want them each to feel like their opinion matters and their space matters.Accomplishments: Coming out here, living here and being happy on my own. It was something I never thought I’d have the strength to do, but I realized I couldn’t wait for anyone to make that decision for me.Role models: There are people I see living here that are a lot older than me, and they have so much energy in their eyes. They’re happy and out doing their thing, and I really aspire to be that way when I’m part of an older generation.

Growing up in the Midwest, I saw that energy dampened in older people. They’re there for their jobs, and the winter gets them down. Here, people live for the winters. I didn’t know that was possible.If I had $100,000: I’d have an endless supply of books. And I’d make a bigger playground with more grass and a waterfall. I’d also love to have more scholarships for staff development.Extracurricular: I love traveling to see live music. I’m going to Boulder tonight to see Leftover Salmon.I also like going out with my co-workers for happy hour. I’ve never really hung out with people from work before. We just gush over how amazing our kids are. We’re kind of like those people who talk about their dogs all the time.