Two BRE students come full circle
Article and photo by Celeste McNeil; photo courtesy of Andrea Scott
Thomas D. and Caleb M. stand in the classroom where they attended preschool and where they will attend 5th grade.
Two Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) school students have come full circle in their education; they are ending their primary school years in the same classroom where they attended preschool.
This summer, more than a few BRE teachers shifted classrooms – every grade from preschool through fifth grade moved to a new room. Kindergarten was previously scattered around the building, but the new classroom assignments allow for all three kindergarten classes to be grouped together in adjacent classrooms, following the pattern of the other grades. Grouping grades together provides continuity and opportunities for teacher-sharing and differentiated learning groups based on level, across each grade. The classroom shifting also moved fifth grade into rooms previously occupied by the littlest learners – preschool.
After asking fifth grade students to remember back to preschool, and checking old yearbooks against current class rosters, two students were verified as attending preschool in the classroom they will primarily learn in again this year.
Thomas D. and Caleb M. remember some of the play and education they participated in with Mrs. Andrea and her staff. They created art projects, imagined adventures in the pretend play corner and stretched their minds in centers.
Caleb M. (top right) makes a face at the camera during preschool snack in Mrs. Andrea’s afternoon preschool class.
This year, the classroom looks a little different. Gone are the building blocks, alphabet rug, water table and the ever-changing dress-up/pretend play corner. Now, the classroom is filled with bigger desks and chairs and reflects the more mature learners that fill the quiet with questions about economy and narrative writing.
“I can remember where everything was in preschool, the reading and imagination corners, the tablet stand, and all the numbers and letters on the walls. It brings back a lot of memories being in this classroom,” said Caleb.
The boys themselves have changed too. They have grown a couple of feet in height since the last time they were in this classroom on a regular basis. They have mastered many social and educational skills during the intervening years. They can read and write. They have learned to tell time, and how to use money. They are articulate and can contemplate and communicate complex concepts.
This year, they, along with all of fifth grade, will continue to learn and prepare to be successful moving forward to middle school, just like they did in preschool as they learned how to be successful in elementary school. These two boys have literally come full circle.
