Kindergarten a vital time in the lives of students

For many children, kindergarten is the first gateway to the world outside their families. As such, this stage of the education process is a vital time in the lives of young students.

At Rector Elementary, three teachers are there to meet those young kindergarten students as they take those first steps into the unfamiliar, yet exciting, world.

"Teaching kindergarten is a little different in that we're sort of a combination of teacher and parent," RES kindergarten teacher Amber Bucy said. "Essentially, the transition from being at home to coming to school is a hard one for them. We make sure they get extra hugs and attention to get through this transition."

Joining Bucy in welcoming the youngest students at RES are fellow kindergarten teachers Lynette Trail and Mandy Isom.

The three women have their work cut out for them with 43 students in kindergarten this year, one of the largest classes Rector has seen in several years.

"It's the largest class we've had since I've been here," Bucy said.

The lessons in kindergarten have changed some from years past. Today students are being introduced to more educational activities, receiving special instruction in areas such as computer use and music. Of course, the familiar staples remain.

"We still cover the basic ABCs and 123s, but there's more to it," Bucy said. "There's a very broad area of academics presented with the kids going to classes for computers, art and music, as well as going to the library and doing programs there."

Even though the curriculum may have changed some, the students of today still begin with the basics.

"The first nine weeks, it's about rules, rules, rules," Bucy said. "The kids practice raising their hands when they want to talk, staying in their seat and basically just learning how to behave in the classroom. For many of our students, this is their first experience in this kind of environment and there's a learning process involved in adapting to it."

Learning how to behave in class is also part of building up the children's social skills.

"Building social skills is a big part of kindergarten," Bucy said. "For many of them, this is really the first time they've been around a lot of other kids. They're learning how to interact with each other and play together. It's a big step in education and life in general."

By combining the beginnings of academic and social growth with a caring environment, the kindergarten teachers hope to set their students on a solid, memorable path.

"We all want their first step to be a memorable one," Bucy said. "Our goal is to help prepare them for the future, while making good memories that will last a lifetime."