May’s Center Spotlight shines on our graduating students, the Becky Gates Children’s Center Class of 2020! The students graduating are from the Panthers, Jaguars, and Tigers classrooms and are taught by Mrs. Khali Shaw, Mrs. Carolina Bratlien, and Mrs. Kay Myers.

Here Mrs. Carolina and Mrs. Khali sing the graduation song “I’m a Little Aggie” for their students to practice while they are at home.

As this Spring semester comes to a close, we are celebrating endings and new beginnings here at Becky Gates Children’s Center. While the graduating students are moving away from Becky Gates, they are taking with them the skills and experiences that they have gained from their time at the center.

The teachers used the High Scope curriculum to guide lesson planning as well as activities for the kids to do inside the classroom. They also gave them plenty of opportunities to explore these academic skills through play in the classroom. BGCC has socially prepared the children for Kindergarten by using a conflict resolution method. Teachers support children when a conflict arises by helping them learn ways to solve their own problems.

In Early Childhood, children have many emotions. They sometimes do not have the words to express how they feel. Teachers are there to help children talk about their feelings and help them gain control and express their emotions.

Mrs. Kay said, “Our curriculum has a “Plan, Do, Review” process in our daily routine. In the Early Childhood years, children learn through play which is their work. They make a plan with their teacher, where they are going to work/play. Next, they go to their work areas to play. Lastly, they meet back with their teachers to discuss what their plan was. This is a great life skill for each child. As adults, we make plans in our everyday life.”

Socially the teachers give the children plenty of self help skills so that they are able to take care of themselves as well as be independent in the classroom and among their peers as a transition into kindergarten. They also gave them free reign to congregate into social groups with their peers whenever they would like to. That way they are given the time and space they need to navigate social problems as they arise organically.

According to Mrs. Carolina and Mrs. Khali, “Emotionally we help the children by talking to them about their feelings by noticing that they are upset or sad or angry and giving them the words to use we validate their feelings we then help them work through those feelings by having a conversation with them to navigate where are they are and what they feel and what their needs are.”

The BGCC Class of 2020 teachers believe that by giving them the children the skills and practicing them here at Becky Gates they will be able to take all of those skills with them as they transition into kindergarten and beyond.

Here are some of the graduating students talking about what they want to be when they are older.

Even though Becky Gates is not a traditional public school setting we are still preparing our children for a classroom environment in which they have to follow routines and expectations and social awareness. Our children are also independent and that they are able to take care of themselves when they need to. This includes going to the bathroom and Washing hands. They also take care of their own meal times by being able to serve them self which they won’t do at a public school but they also know how to clean up after themselves which could be applied in any environment.

Each child also has their own special strength that they are able to utilize to help them throughout their transition into kindergarten in order to be successful.

When asked what makes the Class of 2020 so special, their teachers said, “The obvious is that they survived COVID-19! Despite our routines and schedules and world being turned upside down our kids have shown tremendous resilience and flexibility to adapting to any situation including online learning and virtual learning and being able to still navigate their daily and academic routine from home.”

The Panthers classroom specifically survived a teacher turnover in the middle of the year and still came out on top.

While we still don’t know what is going to happen with our graduation ceremony there have been multiple ideas in the works. This includes an edited video of all of our graduates singing “I’m a little Aggie.” While our celebration may not be traditional it will definitely be memorable and we want to make our children feel including their families as special as possible. At least we were able to take our graduation pictures and their cute maroon cap and gown which can be seen below. Each teacher also has a special trinket or notion in mind for each of their children.

Some of Mrs. Kay’s favorite memories include, “Learning about plants and planting beans, tomatoes and peppers with them and watching them grow. I also enjoyed inviting parents to the classroom to help learn about animal science. The children really enjoyed looking at the different x-rays of animals on our light table that were brought to our class. Another parent brought some mammals to class to share with us. The children were able to have hands on experience with them. In my opinion, hands on experiences is the best and most memorable way to learn.”

When asked about her favorite memories Mrs. Khali listed the following,

“1. The 100th day of school. It was so cool to see how excited the kids were for the 100th day of school. As the day got closer, you could feel the anticipation in the room. The actual day was sort of magical. Everyone was completely present in the day and we had so much fun as a classroom family. It was also really cute to see how proud each student was to be able to count out 100 items.

2. Hanukkah & Chinese New Year. Having all of those families be so eager to come into the classroom and teach our children about their culture was amazing to see. The kids were always so excited to listen to what they had to say and try new things. We have amazing parents in the Panther classroom, and I love how willing they are to come in and share whatever they have. I also recognize the sacrifice they make our of their day to be with us and for that I am grateful!

3. Picture Day. It was probably one of the most stressful days of school, but I was overwhelmed with emotions when I saw our graduates walk down the hallway in their caps and gowns. I haven’t been their teacher for the entire school year, but I feel truly blessed that I was able to be their teacher for part of the school year.

4. Nature Walk. We were doing a simple activity of walking outside and looking for what we could see outside. The children spotted trash in front of the school and took it upon themselves to pick up all the trash they could find. We got a trash bag and got all the kids gloves. They had so much fun taking care of the school.”

When asked about her favorite memories Mrs. Carolina said, “Every school year, when a new class walks into the Jaguar classroom, each student brings special qualities that are shared throughout the year. This makes each group fun, unique and special. This year, the Jaguar Class of 2020 has left me with some great memories. One thing I can say for sure is that this group is definitely boisterous. They love to be heard whether we are singing, dancing or making music. They love jamming as soon as they walk into the classroom. They especially love dancing down the hallway as we head out to the playground. As they go, they love to chant “Jaguars! Jaguars! Are the best! Jaguars! Jaguars! Are the best!”. Once they get started, they can be as loud as football fans on the field.

They have given me many great memories. I love watching them adapt to any kind of situation especially on rainy days. On those days even though we are stuck inside they manage to bring the outside in. Their enthusiasm and joy is contagious. They make those rainy days seem more beautiful. This group has made me realize that you just have to get up with glee and enjoy even rainy days. To my 2020 Jaguars Graduation Class, thanks for making those rainy days perfect.

Congratulations graduates!