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Early Learning
students help at Woodland
By Bob Robinson
GREENVILLE – The “too loud” light in the lunchroom never went to red,
although it flickered regularly at the yellow “warning” level.
“We’ve pulled out all the stops,” said Lisa Maher, assistant principal
at Woodland Heights Elementary School. Part of the learning process for
students in kindergarten through second grade is to learn the
difference between four levels of “voices.” Zero is no talking, one is
whispering, second table talk, then strong speaker and finally outside
voices.
Voices are just one of many things new kindergarten students start
learning from the first day they arrive at school. It’s a new world for
them and seniors from the Careers with Children program at Greenville
High School help out with special challenges in the lunchroom.
“Sometimes a child needs help just holding his tray level as he goes to
his table,” Maher said.
On Aug. 30 Amy Schoen, Careers with Children teacher, brought seven
students with her. All are teachers at the GHS preschool, the
Greenville Learning Center.
“They are all seniors,” Schoen said. “I want them to know what they’re
doing when they’re here.”
This is the third year that Early Learning students will be helping out
with new kindergarten students. Schoen noted their job was not just to
do things for them but to teach them to do what they can while making
sure they know there is help for them when they can’t do something.
Half of approximately 200 kindergartners attended school Friday. All
Greenville classes began Tuesday, but only first and second graders
started at Woodland. This was to get them used to the routine of being
back in school. Half of the kindergartners were supposed to arrive
Thursday, but schools were closed due to heavy fog. Their first day was
Friday.
The other half of the kindergarten students started Sept. 3. The full
kindergarten class was on campus Sept. 4.
“The high school students will be with us – helping – all next week,”
Maher said.
Prior to lunch being served many kindergarten teachers brought their
classes to the lunchroom for a “practice” session. They walked them
through the lunch line then into the cafeteria. Tables have letters on
them and students learn which lettered table they sit at. Next they are
walked through the process of dumping the trash, stacking their trays
then going outside for lunch recess.
Most students did well when it was time for lunch. One however, seemed
a little confused as she threw the remnants of her lunch – tray
included – into the closest trash can and started to head out into the
hallway. Efforts to call her back went unnoticed.
“She’s off in her own world,” commented one lunchroom volunteer as
another one stopped her and turned her around. The first volunteer took
the tray out of the trash can and put it on the stack while the other
explained to the student what she was supposed to do.
The little girl nodded, then started back toward the hallway again. She
was turned around - again - and pointed in the direction of the door to
recess.
Maher said this particular year was special because of the seniors who
came from the high school to help out.
“This senior class is the last class of the students I had when I was
teaching,” she said.
Published courtesy
of The Early Bird
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