Why Early Childhood Matters to… KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS
Q&A with Michelle Novelli
W.F. Killip Elementary School, Flagstaff Unified School District
2012 Rodel Exemplary Teacher - Kindergarten
How long have you been a kindergarten teacher?
I have been at my school since 2001 and have been teaching kindergarten since 2005. Kindergarten is where I’m meant to be. My students constantly amaze me with how much and how quickly they learn. When kids are excited about something, their capacity for learning is astounding. We really need to get them off to the best start possible.
Why is school readiness so important?
Kindergarten has become much more rigorous. We have a lot to accomplish in the 180 days we spend together during the school year, and not just the academic stuff. Kids have to get used to being away from their family for long days, sitting and listening to a story, taking turns in line — the social and emotional things. When students have had those experiences before coming to my class, you can see that. I think that quality preschool is more important than it ever has been.
What can parents and caregivers do to help their child be ready to learn and succeed?
Here are the main messages I give to parents:
You are your child’s first and most important teacher. I really believe that. I can remember being a young parent myself, before I was a teacher. I didn't realize how important my role was until my son started kindergarten. Teachers really enjoy working with families.
Make reading part of life. Read to your child. Have that lap time every day when you’re sharing books and words and stories. Your child may go through a phase when their favorite book is “Green Eggs and Ham” and they want you to read that book every night for four months. Go ahead and read it. For the thousandth time, go ahead and do it. You may not realize it, but it’s exciting for them, and they’re building literacy skills. Young kids need to hear words and sentences and rhymes to develop the skills they need to learn to read. And start early. I recently spoke with a group of soon-to-be moms, and I asked them, “Are you reading to your belly?”
Talk to your kids. Take the time to listen and have conversations with them. We all have so much going on. I see kids playing on their parents’ phones or tablets, and I know life gets so hectic, but have those conversations every day. When they’re interested in something, ask them questions about it, not just yes-or-no. It’s amazing the things you’ll find out. Encourage them to express their interests and then follow them. If your kiddo loves dinosaurs, take him to the library and check out books on dinosaurs. Take the time.
Give them experiences. Let them get out in the world and discover and explore. Find as many free community events and take your child. It doesn’t have to be all day, but it’s important to give them those experiences and opportunities to be excited and that time together with you.
Encourage your child as a young learner. This could mean learning letters and numbers, but it could also mean learning all about topics that interest your child. Let your child playfully create and build things. Have washable markers, play dough, paints and even scissors (supervised, of course!) available for your child. These activities help build small motor skills that help with writing and other activities later on.
Any favorite books in your classroom?
We are loving cat books this year. “Pete the Cat” and “Skippyjon Jones,” because I read it with a ridiculous accent. He’s a cat who thinks he’s a Chihuahua. They also love nonfiction books. We’re studying weather right now, so I have 26 meteorologists that I hang out with every day. The kids absolutely eat it up.
What do you love most about working with young children?
Teaching kindergarten is the best job in the world. It requires a lot of hard work, but it’s very important. We are laying the foundation and providing tools that are going to help our kids be successful, have wonderful lives and contribute great things to the world. That’s exciting.
It’s sort of a cliché for teachers to say, but I want my students to see themselves as lifelong learners. To be explorers and questioners, to be excited to learn about new things and new ideas. And to see themselves as capable of accomplishing whatever they may dream.
On the first day of school I ask, ‘Who here can go to college?’ and maybe one or two kids will tentatively raise their hand. And then, every single day throughout the year, we say the Pledge and our school pledge, and then I say, ‘If you can work really hard, learn a lot, graduate from high school and college and have a life you love, raise your hand.’ And after a while, as the year goes on, every single hand will go up. All of them. That’s part of the routine in my classroom. I want them to see that they can accomplish anything.
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