Practice makes perfect

Friday, September 9, 2011

Kudos to the teachers and staff of Merrimack elementary schools who spent time with kindergarten students the day before the official opening of school. And, of course, to prepare those teachers and staff for that same first day.

Everyone can use a little practice, even if they’ve been doing their jobs for many years.

According to a story in last week’s Journal by our Jake Berry, about 210 kindergarten students entered the school system this year. Even if they’ve had experience with preschools, it is still a difficult transition.

So bringing them in a day early so that they could get used to the school, the teachers, the bus drivers and, of course, the schools’ principals, was a very good idea.

It was probably just as reassuring to the parents as it was to the students. Even if their children had gone to preschool, kindergarten has to be a horse of a different color because, after all, preschool didn’t involve such things as riding the school bus.

So it was good for parents to get a chance to spend some time in the school and realize that the teachers and the staff are there to help the kids learn, of course, and to help them adjust. It’s what teachers and staff members do on a regular basis, even if we have a tendency to forget that when it’s time to discuss their pay.

Remember what it was like to go to kindergarten? To enter a strange building with long, wide hallways where footsteps and voices seemed to echo strangely? It was a very long time ago for many of us, but unless we were incredibly exceptional, it was a scary time.

And it still is. Our educators have learned a lot over the years – one of the reasons for a practice run at school before the official opening – but they haven’t learned how to eliminate trepidation. We know, of course, that they work hard to make their students feel comfortable, to make school a positive, safe, nurturing environment. But every child reacts differently and some are going to be nervous on that first day. Remember?

Bringing in the kids the day before that official opening is one way to help them adjust and to feel that nurturing atmosphere.

We like this program. We think parents, teachers, administrators, staff and, most important, students do, too.