Room 116: Kindergarten at Churchill

With Kinder registration coming up, Caroline Sparling, Room 116’s bilingual Kinder teacher, shares the approach that the teaching team (Caroline and ECEs Vanessa Pellerin and Yeonwon Seo – see their bios below) brings to the classroom.

You can check out the classroom’s Instagram account at instagram.com/kindervida.

What are your main goals as a Kinder teacher?

“Kindergarten is all about setting students up for success in their later school years. Three big goals that we work towards are:

1. Socio-emotional development… To thrive at school, you need to be able to get along with all kinds of people and function as part of a group. Kindergarten is an important time for children to develop social skills and learn about their emotions and how to deal with them. Weaknesses in this area prevent students from engaging successfully in school life so it’s really important to work on this early on. We make ourselves available, listen to student concerns and ideas, model the words to express their emotions and thoughts. We make time for children to play freely in groups and we stand by to support them through the conflicts that come up. 

2. Nurturing curiosity and empowering children to engage in all kinds of learning… We always have a variety of engaging materials in the classroom for children to explore and practice different skills across different academic areas. We think about the needs and skills of each child when we plan meaningful learning activities. 

3. Creating a home away from home… Young children still need lots of cuddles and a mix of downtime, play time, group time, alone time, etc… We’re sensitive to how the children are feeling each day and we plan our day and shift our expectations to meet their needs as much as we can. 

What does a day in your Kindergarten class look like?

Here’s our usual daily routine:

• 7:45-8:45 Outdoor Play

• 8:45-10:00 Free Play and Exploration and Small Group Learning Activities

• 10:00-10:20 Gym

• 10:20-10:40 Snack

• 10:40-11:00 Get Dressed

• 11:00-12:00 Outdoor Play

• 12:00-12:40 Lunch

• 12:40-1:00 Rest

• 1:00-1:40 Indoor Play and Small Group Learning Activities, Library Time, Kinder Choir

• 1:40-2:00 Get Ready for Home

• 2:00-2:30 Outdoor Play

We also love going on field trips. We walk down to a local seniors’ residence once a month to share in a variety of activities: exploring the Maple Lawn Public Garden together, sing-alongs and stories, a Hallowe’en costume parade, puzzle sessions, and (our favourite) – sitting with the residents to share milk and cookies and a good chat.

How do you bring French into your classroom? We have a lot of fun through puppetry, games, drama, singing, conversations, routine instructions and conversations throughout the day. This picture is of the shop we set up – le dépanneur du petit coin.

How do you, Vanessa and Yeonwon work together as a team? We all share the same approach. We make sure we’re present for the children, we listen to their concerns and we engage with them in meaningful ways throughout the day. We share responsibility for planning activities and setting up materials conducive to exploration and rich play.

What do you like about being in the classroom? I love children of this age! They are so genuine, earnest, and excited to learn and care for one another. I love being there to witness all of this and help support them and their families as they enter the school community. 

What brings a smile to your face during the day? I laugh and smile all day long. Children say the darndest things and their joy and playfulness are contagious. 

When do you think you’ve made a difference? I feel as though I’ve make a difference every day, when I comfort a child who’s upset, or help a child develop a new skill. I feel I make a big difference when I take the time to connect with parents and we work together to address concerns that pop up and then see a positive change in a child’s behaviour and emotional state.

What does the Alternative Program look like in Kindergarten? Our school’s culture encourages innovation and thinking outside the box. And so we’ve designed a kindergarten environment that responds to the needs of our young students. If they need to run, we take them outside. If they’re tired, we rest. If they’re hungry, they eat. If they’re upset, we put aside our plans and listen. If they decide to use materials in ways we hadn’t intended, we let go of our assumptions, observe, and learn.

We start the children off on a journey of learning that first and foremost shows that we consider and care about them as individuals within a larger community of learners. This is what’s at the heart of our Alternative approach… caring about the social-emotional-academic needs of each child and responding to them.  

Do parents help out in the classroom? One of the Alternative Tenets is “a family & community-centered school environment wherein parental involvement is essential”. Parents are welcome any time in our classroom. It’s great to have extra adults around to read stories on the couch or help with special activities, like making bird feeders, for example. Children LOVE having their parents come in and spend time getting to know their classmates. They help with our frequent field trips to local parks and gardens, keeping our child to adult ratios small so we can give the children the freedom to explore.