Dove Hill Newsroom

Charles Crosby

Transitional Kindergarten is the most recent grade to be implemented in California and perhaps, the least understood. Is this something you should consider for your children? What will they actually learn there? What kind of folks teach in TK and why did they choose that option? To be a TK teacher, you have to attend early childhood education training and/or have an Early Childhood Education degree and even more importantly, you need to be passionate about working with the youngest of our kids in the school system. The TK curriculum is a blending of preschool standards and kindergarten standards and since there is no formally written curriculum, our own District TK Teachers wrote the program we use.

Importantly, TK is here to stay at Evergreen. It's not a temporary program and has become an integral part of the ESD experience. As more families discover the program and learn of its benefits, we see more kids being enrolled.

We spoke with several of our TK teachers and asked a series of questions relating to TK including their own motivations and why families should consider enrolling their kids in TK. Below is our Q&A with our teachers, in their own words:

Q's:

1. Why do you think parents should be looking to enroll their kids in TK instead of waiting for kindergarten?

2. What drew you to TK? What about teaching at that level appealed to you?

3. What do people need to know about TK? On the flip side, what are the biggest misconceptions about TK?

4. What is the most rewarding thing about teaching TK? What is the most frustrating?

5. Any other thoughts?

Martitza Cervantes – O.B. Whaley

1. Children who qualify for TK should be enrolled in their home school instead of waiting for kindergarten many reasons. First, it will help the student get acquainted with an academic setting, classroom procedures, and socialization norms and helps them become more independent. The student and his/her family will also become will familiarized with the school culture. TK is also a safe place where a child can adjust at his/her own pace instead of trying to keep up with the kindergarten curriculum. Overall TK is great exposure to school in a fun hands-on learning environment where mistakes are ok, because we all learn from mistakes and then the student become more confident.

2. I was drawn to TK because it is an environment that has a great mix of learning and playing. We all learn in different ways and TK gives multiple avenues to learn one topic, hands-on, listening, moving, visual and paper pencil. Learning through play creates a fun safe environment to take risks and make mistakes.

3. People need to understand that the students are being held to high expectations and are being taught how to conduct themselves in an academic learning environment. Although we do play the children are learning self-control, social norms, maturity, turn taking, etc., life skills that will be useful for the rest of their lives. I think people might think that TK is preschool and vice versa.

4. There are so many rewards. Seeing the children grow over the year to become more independent in academics and socially. Also, seeing them realize that they have learned so much and being able to do something they could not do at the beginning of the year.

Holly Gonzalez - Holly Oak

1. Even if parents feel their students are already academically prepared for kindergarten this is an opportunity for them to grow socially and emotionally.

2. I love that TK not only allows us, but also requires us to use developmentally appropriate practices.

3. A big misconception is that TK is the same thing as preschool. Students are being taught by credentialed teachers and are also receiving all of the benefits that the school offers such as speech or English Language services where appropriate.

4. The most rewarding thing about teaching TK is seeing how much students grow throughout the year, especially how much their oral language improves. It is also extremely rewarding knowing that you are setting the stage for the rest of these children's' education.

5. Any parent who has ever had doubts about enrolling their child in TK or initially complained that their child would not be going straight to kindergarten has later told me how happy they are that their child was in TK.

Della Smith - Katherine Smith

1. It gives them a chance to develop their social emotional skills and be ready to be the oldest students in the kindergarten class and become true leaders! It also helps them to learn school routines.

2. I have a degree in Child Development and have always wanted to work with our youngest students. I was thrilled to have the "gift of time" to work on what the students need without the emphasis on assessment that is prevalent in kindergarten.

3. TK will make your student a confident leader in Kindergarten. Most common misconception: students will be "behind" if they don't go to kindergarten until the following year and TK is going to be discontinued.

4. Most rewarding is to see their growth during the year and how well they do the following years. Most frustrating: teaching them to solve their own problems without needing to tattle!

Jamie LeGrande - JFS

1. Children get the social interaction and guidance they need to be able to learn all of the standards learned in the kindergarten classroom.

2. Working with the youngest children at the elementary age has always been my passion. I feel that these children are always bright eyed about learning and the environment around them. They are willing and ready to soak up the challenges around them, whether they are social or academic. There is so much growth that happens at this age. The children are very responsive and excited to learn.

3. TK is socially based but also exposes the children to the academic foundation they will need for kindergarten. The biggest misconception is that TK is repetitive of preschool and that the children are advanced for TK. Even if they are strong in academics, there is always room to grow with motor skills, social awareness, and leadership roles. The children will get the differentiation they need both academically and socially. They will have the opportunity to be the leaders of the future.

4. The reward is the growth the children show both socially and academically.

Shannon Simpson - Matsumoto

1. TK provides children with the support, encouragement and modeling needed to develop socially and emotionally. Children are supported one on one as social situations arise relating to them. Often a teacher will provide guidance on how a student can solve conflicts and express their emotions with peers and adults.

2. It was exciting to think that a new grade was being designed and that our youngest children would now have more time to grow socially and emotionally. I was drawn to TK because I felt that the social and emotional development had been missing in kinder.

3. TK is much more than the academics, TK strives to help children become well rounded and teaches them how to express themselves and recognize their emotions. Many people think that TK was a three-year program and once the kinder date was moved to Sept 2nd that TK went away. TK is here to stay and is a gift of time for children.

4. The most rewarding thing about teaching TK is seeing the children's love for learning. They are excited to share what they learn with their peers, buddies and families along with making connections from home to the themes being studied in class.

Sue Gresch – Carolyn Clark

1. TK is a bridge between preschool and kindergarten. While the focus is on social-emotional development, students are exposed to academics in a developmentally appropriate program.

2. I like teaching in a developmentally appropriate way. Students are exposed to a variety of activities that can be explored in depth in a variety of ways. The program is very hands-on, active and interactive.

3. TK is not just another year of preschool. We are a bridge between Preschool Foundations and Kindergarten State Common Core Standards. It is taught by credentialed teachers who have had extra training in order to prepare to work with our youngest learners.

4. The most rewarding thing is watching and listening to my students using what we have been talking about while "playing." They are able to make sense and apply our classwork as they interact with their peers. The most frustrating thing is having to tell people that TK is not going away!

Tremayne Wilkins - Dove Hill

1. Building stamina for kindergarten, promoting independence and leadership, exposure to other children in an enriching school environment.

2 The ability to create a program that was student centered and focused on the development of the whole child.

3. That it is a permanent grade level, it focuses on both the social and academic aspects of education. Its base on state standards and it is developmentally appropriate.

4. Seeing the students develop into confident, independent, and happy children.

Anne DiPalermo - Evergreen

1. All parents want their child to be successful throughout their school years, especially in this district! TK gives a child an introduction to school in a fun, age appropriate environment where they can learn social behavior without academic pressure.

2. The age group. I like the excitement that the children show when they come to school. It's good to hear from parents that their child loves school. As a K and TK teacher I believe my job is to teach a child to love school and want to come back. The collaboration between the teachers

3. Parents need to accept that TK is for socialization. We aren't looking to see that children can read/write/count. This age group must learn how to play with others. How to get along with children and adults. How to talk to other children and adults. The biggest misconceptions about TK: The class is too easy, their child should be learning about reading and math facts because that is what they are learning at their after school care.

4. The most rewarding thing is watching a child playing with someone new. Someone they didn't know until they came to school.

Ruth Hambley - Cedar Grove

1. I think parents should enroll their child in TK because daycare and many preschools do not provide scheduled time for the children to learn school skills such as self control (sitting quietly on the carpet), active listening skills, communication within their peer group, conflict resolution.

2. I jumped at the chance to teach TK because of the developmental emphasis the program. The chance to explore the different activities of the program builds confidence in the children. The TK staff furthers their curiosity and deeper understanding by asking probing questions.

3. TK enrollment is limited to a specific age group that has been shown to be not as mature as students a few months older than them. The maturity needed to self regulate behavior in a structured environment may not have developed in these fours turning five. It is important to give these youngsters exposure to the colors, shapes, letters and numbers without the pressure of mastery. TK gives students a chance to practice social skills needed in a classroom. Emotions and the vocabulary to express themselves develop in a good TK program.

4. My whole day is a reward for teaching TK. Watching children resolve conflicts without being drawn in, observing them struggle and finally succeed in learning to swing, hearing them empathizing with a classmate are skills that develop in this age group. The milestones go by moving them from total dependence on adults to independent beings, seeing them move from playing next to each other into achieving a cooperative goal, students understanding that they can get their own paper towel to clean up messes.

For more on Transitional Kindergarten in California please visit the State Department of Education TK FAQ page.