And once they get into the TK classroom, many educators told us, they\u2019ve found new joy in the work.<\/p>\n
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Lauren Bush started teaching transitional kindergarten three years ago after more than two decades coaching other educators and teaching every grade from kindergarten through sixth.<\/p>\n
Her classroom at Lucille J. Smith Elementary in Lawndale is broken into different \u201ccenters,\u201d where students can play with colorful magnetic tiles, practice painting their name or construct a ramp to roll a ball from one end of the room to the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just so joyful to be with the kids again,\u201d Bush said. \u201cThat’s when I just, like, got back to myself as an educator, and now I’m gonna die here. That’s my plan. I love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Education research shows that teachers who like their jobs are more likely to stay, and that stability can be good for long-term learning outcomes.<\/p>\n
So we wanted to understand what makes TK so joyful for educators and how that can shape how and what students learn.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lauren Bush and her students practice saying the sounds associated with the letter ‘A’ at Lucille J. Smith Elementary in Lawndale.<\/p>\n
Welcoming students with joy<\/p>\n
Broadly, the goal of transitional kindergarten is to prepare students for kindergarten and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanna make sure that their first experience in a public school setting is one that is joyful, where they feel loved, where they feel welcomed, where they get to really transition nicely into like the rigor of the school,\u201d Bush said.<\/p>\n
California\u2019s learning foundations for preschool and transitional kindergarten<\/a> include academic concepts, like the alphabet and writing, but also learning about emotions and developing kids\u2019 muscles.<\/p>\n \u201cThe progress in academics in the lower grades is so satisfying because it’s such a huge, huge jump,\u201d Bush said. \u201cYou don’t necessarily see that in the upper grades. It’s so gradual\u2026 They come into me not knowing how to hold a pencil, and they leave writing their name and drawing.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Bush has her students tear paper, to hone the fine motor skills that will be useful to one day using a pencil.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they’re playing all day, but it’s very intentional play,\u201d Bush said.<\/p>\n Teachers also told us without the pressure of standardized testing, there was flexibility to tailor their instruction to students\u2019 interests.<\/p>\n \u201cI can take something that they’re curious about and go from there and do little mini lessons with that,\u201d said Alhambra TK teacher Claudia Ralston.<\/p>\n For example, when she noticed a group of students was ready to practice writing, she set up the materials for them to make signs. The subject of the signs, pumpkin pies and pumpkin drinks, was a topic they\u2019d previously expressed interest in.<\/p>\n And while every school is different, she said in her experience, there are also fewer worksheets used in TK than other grades.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore, we used to have to run off a lot of copies,\u201d Ralston said. \u201cWe’re not doing that. It’s all hands on.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha Elliott, a first-year TK teacher at Price Elementary School in Downey, said she starts the year focused on friendship and manners. \u200a”If [the students] don’t feel safe or welcome, then there’s really no learning going on there,” Elliott said. <\/p>\n Pacific Oaks College professor Jorge Ramirez said this approach is a key part of effective early childhood education.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aWe’re not dictating what they should learn, how they should learn in or in the manner that they should learn it,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cIt’s more of us really understanding what the child wants and what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n At Price Elementary in Downey, Samantha Elliot\u2019s TK classroom features \u201cwiggle breaks\u201d between lessons, and students learn a physical action with each letter of the alphabet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s incorporating instruction and kind of the movement to help bridge the gap a little bit and get them moving, but also still learning,\u201d Elliot said.<\/p>\n And classes are also smaller. Kindergarten classes can have up to 33 students<\/a>, but California requires that a school\u2019s average TK class have no more than 24 students, and there must be one adult for every 10, which means teachers also have help from aides.<\/p>\n In Bush\u2019s class, teacher assistant Maria Estrada often sets up activities and works 1-on-1 with students, including those learning English.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aMy goal is to help those students that need that extra support, so they can catch up at the end of the day,\u201d Estrada said.<\/p>\n \n California’s new public preschool program for 4-year-olds: Exploring transitional kindergarten\n <\/p>\n All four-year-olds in the state of California now have access to a free preschool program in their local school district. So what does transitional kindergarten offer kids and what are the challenges in its implementation? In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, we break it down with the LAist education team.<\/p>\n Does the joy of TK last?<\/p>\n Susan Moore Johnson has studied teaching for decades and leads the Harvard Graduate School of Education\u2019s Project on the Next Generation of Teachers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n