Thank you early elementary committee for this crucial presentation and supporting our youngest learners. As a K teacher with OUSD is see daily how much these young students need social emotional learning skills and development through unstructured play. Thank you for advocating for them.
Children entering Kindergarten is a significant milestone in how they socially and academically develop. From first hand experience, many of the children still required much more attention than what is currently available to them with the teacher to student ratio of 1:22 (ballooned up to 24) . This is such a disservice for the students who needs more time from the teacher while allowing the teacher to give their best and not experience burnout
Kindergarten is a FOUNDATIONAL year for our students, which is still not a required year by the state, and for most of our students it is their first experience in school. The academic level the district is pushing on our kindergarten students is not conducive to their physical or social emotional development. If folks in central making our decisions have ever been teachers for any amount of time, they will have heard that students need to Maslow before they can Bloom. The focus of kinder should be social emotional and physical development, not pushing them to be reading or memorizing sight words before they're developmentally prepared. It is inequitable to expect students to make these giant gains in the time allotted, nor does it support they future academic careers. Looking forward to my kinders being allowed to be kids rather than first graders.
Sara Shepich
Dual Language Kindergarten Teacher
ICS
I have taught Kindergarten in OUSD for over 10 years. A developmentally appropriate curriculum that fosters a love of school and of learning is critical for our students. Thank you to the Early Elementary Committee for this critical presentation.
Thank you Early Elementary Committee for coming up with this presentation that absolutely nails the challenges we have in Kindergarten. I hope this presentation leads to collaboration between teachers, the board, and OUSD leadership that develops an improved program for Kindergarten. We need to step away from the idea that academic rigor in Kindergarten closes the achievement gap. The academic rigor our students face in overcrowded and understaffed classrooms leads to burn out, unmet needs, and a sense of deficiency.
For many students Kindergarten is the first year of their academic journey. The program we create should foster love of school, engagement in the classroom and school community, development of social and emotional skills through a play based curriculum, and appropriate and attainable foundational academic knowledge success. Looking forward to change.
Teacher Jessica
Kindergarten
Glenview Elementary School
Kindergarten is a foundational year, with major academic milestones. Expanding TK doesn’t change the age and developmental stage of a K student. Keeping this in mind is key to ensuring that all the choices we make about our kindergarten programs will create equitable learning that our students need to succeed. If we have students leaving kindergarten “1 year behind” then our programs are not fully equitable. Early learning intervention has been proven time again to have the greatest impact for student’s future success. Analyzing what is working and what is increasing the academic achievement gap in the first year of our student’s academic career is a priority for OUSD students.
It’s time for our educational leaders to learn what is developmentally appropriate for kindergarteners, how their cognitive function develops, and the stages in their cognitive and emotional development. Kids at 5-6 years old are still learning how to communicate effectively in their oral language, which will later transfer to their written language. They need to learn the communication conventions they’ll later use in real life by using pretend/dramatic play, doing role plays, and so many other things kinders are not allowed to do due to lack of time. It’s imperative that we take into consideration their cognitive and emotional development when thinking about instructional times and subject matters. Kindergarteners need to feel emotionally regulated in order to learn, and sometimes they feel way too anxious about a new school, procedures, teachers or friends to be able to open their brains to new learning. Please, do take into consideration that K is not the same as any other grade.
Thank you early elementary committee for this crucial presentation and supporting our youngest learners. As a K teacher with OUSD is see daily how much these young students need social emotional learning skills and development through unstructured play. Thank you for advocating for them.
Children entering Kindergarten is a significant milestone in how they socially and academically develop. From first hand experience, many of the children still required much more attention than what is currently available to them with the teacher to student ratio of 1:22 (ballooned up to 24) . This is such a disservice for the students who needs more time from the teacher while allowing the teacher to give their best and not experience burnout
Kindergarten is a FOUNDATIONAL year for our students, which is still not a required year by the state, and for most of our students it is their first experience in school. The academic level the district is pushing on our kindergarten students is not conducive to their physical or social emotional development. If folks in central making our decisions have ever been teachers for any amount of time, they will have heard that students need to Maslow before they can Bloom. The focus of kinder should be social emotional and physical development, not pushing them to be reading or memorizing sight words before they're developmentally prepared. It is inequitable to expect students to make these giant gains in the time allotted, nor does it support they future academic careers. Looking forward to my kinders being allowed to be kids rather than first graders.
Sara Shepich
Dual Language Kindergarten Teacher
ICS
I have taught Kindergarten in OUSD for over 10 years. A developmentally appropriate curriculum that fosters a love of school and of learning is critical for our students. Thank you to the Early Elementary Committee for this critical presentation.
Thank you Early Elementary Committee for coming up with this presentation that absolutely nails the challenges we have in Kindergarten. I hope this presentation leads to collaboration between teachers, the board, and OUSD leadership that develops an improved program for Kindergarten. We need to step away from the idea that academic rigor in Kindergarten closes the achievement gap. The academic rigor our students face in overcrowded and understaffed classrooms leads to burn out, unmet needs, and a sense of deficiency.
For many students Kindergarten is the first year of their academic journey. The program we create should foster love of school, engagement in the classroom and school community, development of social and emotional skills through a play based curriculum, and appropriate and attainable foundational academic knowledge success. Looking forward to change.
Teacher Jessica
Kindergarten
Glenview Elementary School
Kindergarten is a foundational year, with major academic milestones. Expanding TK doesn’t change the age and developmental stage of a K student. Keeping this in mind is key to ensuring that all the choices we make about our kindergarten programs will create equitable learning that our students need to succeed. If we have students leaving kindergarten “1 year behind” then our programs are not fully equitable. Early learning intervention has been proven time again to have the greatest impact for student’s future success. Analyzing what is working and what is increasing the academic achievement gap in the first year of our student’s academic career is a priority for OUSD students.
It’s time for our educational leaders to learn what is developmentally appropriate for kindergarteners, how their cognitive function develops, and the stages in their cognitive and emotional development. Kids at 5-6 years old are still learning how to communicate effectively in their oral language, which will later transfer to their written language. They need to learn the communication conventions they’ll later use in real life by using pretend/dramatic play, doing role plays, and so many other things kinders are not allowed to do due to lack of time. It’s imperative that we take into consideration their cognitive and emotional development when thinking about instructional times and subject matters. Kindergarteners need to feel emotionally regulated in order to learn, and sometimes they feel way too anxious about a new school, procedures, teachers or friends to be able to open their brains to new learning. Please, do take into consideration that K is not the same as any other grade.