Area Kids Not So Ready to Return to The Classroom
By Dave Woods | Official Kids Mag
Emelia and Helen Hesselgren have mixed emotions about heading back to school following a summer of fun and frolic.
“I’m not really excited,” Emelia said. “I don’t know about waking up early.”
Emelia’s identical twin sister, Helen, was even less enthusiastic about the prospect.
“I hate school,” she groused. “You have to wake up early and do math for seven hours.”
There are a few bright spots for the 10-year-old fifth graders who attend Holt Middle School in Fayetteville.
“I do like science and the experiments,” Emelia said. “I do pretty good in math, but I love art and I like crafting and creating.”
Helen chimed in.
“I like art and recess,” she added. “I really want to do something with clay.”
The sisters may be most excited about getting back to their regular recess games of Freeze Tag.
“We play Freeze Tag a lot,” Emelia said. “We play it together. I love having a twin because you have somebody to play with and talk to all of the time.”
Helen looked at Emelia and made a funny face when asked if she, too, liked having a twin.
“There are good things and bad things,” she said, frankly. “There’s a lot of good things. You always have someone to play with.”
One teacher’s take on back to school
Sarah Stanton is ready to return to her classroom.
“I always say I’m thrilled to go back,” the fourth grade Linda Childers Knapp Elementary School teacher said. “I enjoyed my summer at home with my two kids, but I thrive on the routine. I love going back to school. You could buy me a brand new box of Crayons right now and I would be the giddiest 35-year old you have ever met.”
Sarah, and thousands of public and private school teachers around the region, will soon be preparing for a new year, and a new set of young faces in their classrooms.
Teachers, just like students, have to get their heads back in the game.
“I tell all of my kids one important thing before they go home for the summer,” the 12-year veteran Springdale educator said. “‘You have worked your hineys off all year long and made great progress.’ I say, ‘don’t just let it go to the wayside. Do some work over the summer. I have to read and go to meetings and learn things over the summer, too.’ Kids are surprised that teachers have to do homework. We all have to keep learning. Telling them that helps them understand.”
To be clear, Sarah doesn’t want her students spending the entire summer reading books and studying dawn to dusk. She just wants them to be aware learning comes in many forms.
“Have some down time,” she advised. “Have some fun, but don’t just let the time go to waste. Don’t forget all of that growing and learning that you have done. Take some time and have some fun, and keep that mind sharp. Read online and play math games. It can be something that’s fun and laid back.”
As Sarah preps for her return to the books and blackboards, she is reminded why she decided to go into elementary education. It’s about the kids.
“Some days it is the most magical place I’ve ever been,” she said. “It’s really gratifying. Like any job, there are good days and bad days, but for the most part the kids keep me on my toes, and they are pretty darn fun. It will be a good year.”