Hollister
– After just a few days with their new schedules, local
educators are thrilled with the difference full-day kindergarten –
a first for the Hollister School District – is making for their
students.
Hollister – After just a few days with their new schedules, local educators are thrilled with the difference full-day kindergarten – a first for the Hollister School District – is making for their students.
“It’s just working great in my classroom,” said Michal Query, who teaches kindergarten at Ladd Lane School. “We have a short rest time after lunch when they’re all hot and tired, and after that they’re raring to go.”
Kindergarten students are going to school on a full schedule, similar to that of older students, this week. Last week, kindergarten students were released at lunch to ease the transition into their first days of public school.
“And I haven’t had one of them fall asleep yet,” Query said.
The HSD Board of Trustees voted to instate full-day kindergarten in early April shortly after reducing class sizes to a 20:1 student/teacher ratio. Traditionally, kindergarten students attend school for half a day, and teachers typically work two shifts, with an “AM” and “PM” class.
“Now there’s enough time for a kid to just crawl into your lap and tell you about what’s going on with their life,” said Carole Lewis, who teaches kindergarten at R.O. Hardin School. “It’s much easier to get to know the kids on an individual level.”
Around 60 percent of all school districts in America already offer full-day kindergarten. And closer to home, several public and private schools in Gilroy have made the switch, as well as Spring Grove School, which chose to move to a full day shortly after new state standards were imposed in the late 1990s.
With the advent of the new standards, California’s kindergarten students have been expected to master fairly stringent standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they enter first grade. As a result, many of the activities most people consider to be the heart of kindergarten – song, dance, art and make-believe – have been all but left by the wayside as teachers struggle to get their students through the curriculum and back home in time for lunch.
“Our afternoons are filled with things you’re supposed to have in kindergarten that we haven’t been able to do in years,” Query said. “Blocks, the playhouse, and I’ve been washing paintbrushes after school every day. It’s very cool.”
Most teachers use the morning period for reading, writing and arithmetic, and then use the afternoon time for more relaxed instruction in art, songs or teaching students how to be a good friend and share.
“They’re definitely getting a much more relaxed experience this year,” Query said. “And I think the first-grade teachers will appreciate the fact that next year their students will already be used to a full day.”
For their part, many parents seem equally enthused. A full schedule can make the dropping off and picking up process much easier for families with older children, and most parents appreciate the educational benefits of a few more hours in school.
“When I think of what they’re doing in kindergarten compared to when I was a kid, they’re a lot more advanced now,” said Desirey Viramontes, mother of three. Her youngest, Bobby, is starting kindergarten this year. “And I think this is good for people with large families who have to work. It will help with the day care costs.”
Moreover, educators stress that the gift of time can be crucial for children just starting out on their journey through the school system.
“What we do here is the basis of everything they’re going to do in the upper grades,” Lewis said. “How to work independently, how to settle conflicts, how to help your friends succeed. It’s important.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
