Entering Kindergarten is one of childhood’s great rites of passage, filled with expectation, challenge, and joy. For some children, it’s their very first school—their first time having a regular teacher and being with the same kids every day. And even children who went to nursery school know that graduating to Kindergarten is an important step in their young lives. As the youngest kids in a new school, it’s a bit like entering the big time. School principals know this, of course, and try to staff their Kindergarten classes with especially good teachers. They want their newest and youngest students to have a great first experience, setting the right tone for years to come.
I recently had the treat of talking with the two such wonderful teachers—Charlene Sung and Nadine Masket—of the Alexander Robertson School, a well-regarded private school on the Upper West Side. Sung is one of the school’s Kindergarten teachers, while Masket, the veteran of the two, teaches the Pre-K class. If you are a local parent applying to NYC private schools for admission to Kindergarten or Pre-K next year (beginning September 2015), chances are you’ll go on school tours that will lead you through lower grade classes much like the ones run by Sung and Masket. Pay attention when you do! Seeing the kind of teachers a school has and how they run their classrooms is like a window into the school’s soul.
Located near Central Park and 95th Street, ARS goes through grade 5, with most students entering in Kindergarten, and a smaller group beginning in Pre-K. It is beloved by its families for being a small, nurturing school with strong academics, a special regard for personal ethics, and a diverse student body. Given these qualities, it’s not all at surprising that the school would have such passionate and knowledgeable teachers like Sung and Masket as the primary educators of their youngest students, who also receive instruction in art, music, gym, and language from other teachers.
Socialization is a priority in Pre-K. “Children learn that they are part of a group and a community, and we are sharing in this experience together. We all have something to offer, so we all show kindness and respect,” Masket says. “In a Pre-K setting, you often see children who understand the concept of something, but don’t always use it for themselves. However, they will be very quick to point out to their friend the correct thing to do!”
And what about numbers, and letters, and reading? “At this age, they learn a lot of their academics through their play,” Masket says. “Whether they’re counting colored bears or making patterns, whether they are pretending to be chefs and serving food to their friends, it’s all play, it’s all learning, it’s all socialization. So even though it’s make-believe, you’ll often hear remarks like: ‘I don’t like bananas, I like strawberries.’”
Sung says that Kindergarten carries forward many of Pre-K’s themes with added challenges, and a focus on academic and personal growth. “Play is still an essential part of it, but it’s like they come in and they want to learn to read and write. They are more resilient. They are more aware,” she says. “They want to participate in all the activities and show off all their skills. They want to bring things to the table. They want to write a letter and do all the things they see their parents doing. They see the older kids and they are amazed at what they are doing, and they want to do it as well.”
Both Masket and Sung describe the teacher’s role in the early years as a loving and helpful, but firm and consistent guide.
“I had a boy say to me one day—and it gave me the chills—he said: ‘Miss Nadine, you know why I like you? Because you are fair to everyone.’ He noticed that in this community that he was not being picked on or picked out,” Masket says. And Sung echoes her colleague’s sentiment, noting the importance of a strong structure in creating a foundation for learning. “As a class, we made a list as a class of rules that mean a lot to the children,” she says. “They like structure. They like to know what is going to happen.”
The rules are prominently featured on one of the classroom walls. They are: Listen to your teachers; Be kind to everyone; Be safe inside and outside of school; And always try your best.
Sounds like the new kids are fitting right in at ARS!
Parents interested in learning more about ARS, including its new Pre-K and expanding Kindergarten, should visit alexanderrobertson.org, contact the admissions office at 212-663-2844 or admissions@alexanderrobertson.org.
