Recently I had the opportunity to help out for a school day in a Kindergarten classroom. Besides being exhausted by the time dismissal rolled around, I did learn a lot from the experience:
Regardless of one’s position or authority, Kindergarteners are brutally honest and treat everyone the same. I was introduced to the class by the teacher as the “Big Boss” who runs the schools. That introduction quickly fell flat when one student looked up at me, shrugged, and asked me to move over because I was apparently invading his space. I was invited to join morning circle for a greeting, and I was eagerly welcomed by my new friends. And even though these kids didn’t know me from Adam, it only took a few minutes for one to tap me on the knee and ask me to read a book.
Kindergarteners love learning. Whether it was a phonics lesson, math challenge, or selecting a special book from the library, these kids were eager to learn and demonstrated an amazing capacity to switch gears between lessons. They were all business! They were inquisitive, attentive (even when rolling around on the rug…) and had self management skills that I sometimes see lacking in fellow superintendents(!)
There is a lot of nose blowing in Kindergarten. Of course, it’s winter time in New England but even I was surprised at the number of runny noses. Let me be clear: There were prodigious amounts of snot - wiped all over chins, hands, and sleeves. It was a constant battle keeping noses clean. Thank goodness for Purell. (Parents, if you really want to put a smile on a teacher’s face, send in extra boxes of Kleenex; there is never enough.)
Everything is breaking news. One kindergartener lost her first tooth, and it was a cause for celebration and excitement. Stories about siblings, recess drama, and pets abound. In the middle of a math game and without promoting, one boy shared what his father said over the weekend when his dad hit his head on the door; he explained it in such exaggerated detail it could have been a screenplay for a hit movie. I was mesmerized.
The power of the hand signal. The teacher and her assistant expertly used a raised hand and gesture to get all the Kindergarteners to stop what they were doing and form a straight and quiet line to head out for recess. If only I could get the principals to fall in line like this.
Speaking of Kindergarten teachers… The adults in that classroom, and all of our teachers and staff, are heroes. Our teachers are dedicated to meeting the many and varied needs of all of our children, regardless of their circumstances, and I am grateful for all they do. Each day they arrive prepared to guide and support these children and they do so with humor, flexibility (wicked flexibility!) patience, creativity, caring, and love. I already know that about our teachers, but spending a day in a Kindergarten classroom helped me to put my work in perspective; and looking at those 20 something faces made the Portrait of a Needham Graduate come alive - and feel personal.
I am so fortunate and privileged to work in a community that values its children and young people like Needham does.
For sure, educating young people is challenging and our efforts sometimes imperfect, but the teaching and learning that is going on across the district is the most important work happening in this community, and I am humbled by our educators’ commitment and inspired by our Kindergarteners' joy.
