Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/docia-shares-a-story-transitions/5014784/
In Gwen Dophna's class at Santa Monica College, the students were discussing the children's transition from preschool to public school kindergarten. A question was asked whether any of them remembered their first day in kindergarten and the class discovered that not only did most of them remember, but many recalled with quite some feeling, how they had cried. This led to talking about separation anxiety; going into a new, strange environment, missing their teacher and their friends, new routines, new expectations - actually entering a new world.When I shared this story with my friend, Betsy Hiteshew, she remembered how her daughter, Sally, was afraid she was going to cry. She made Betsy promise she would tell the teacher she might cry. When they arrived at school, Betsy told Mrs. Skelton, "Sally wants you know that sometimes she cries." Mrs. Skelton leaned over and quietly said, "That's all right; I do, too." That seemed all the reassurance Sally needed - the right words at the right time.
Do you remember your first day? Your teacher? Can you remember why you liked or didn't like her? How you felt? How do you and your staff help children make the transition to kindergarten? How do ...