Eight teachers moved grades this year at our school! We were curious to know what their experience was like. We chatted with two of these teachers, Mrs. Hickey and Mrs. Gentilli, who both moved into grade 3, to learn about their experience and teaching.

Mrs. Gentilli

We wondered, if they could choose a grade to teach, which grade would it be. Mrs. Gentilli shared, she is “happy teaching grade 3 and there is a lot of new material”. She also likes the American Revolution unit and the science units. Mrs. Hickey said, “If I could choose a grade to teach, it would be either grades 3, 4, or 5.” She also likes to teach in grade 3 because she gets to know where the kids start in 3rd grade and where they end up in 5th grade.

Mrs. Gentilli commented, she liked moving to 3rd grade because she already knew most of the kids from the previous year and didn’t have to go through the “get to know you stage”, when asked if it was hard to adapt to 3rd grade from second grade. She also thought it  almost felt like extending the school year.

Mrs. Hickey

“Not hard to adapt” from 5th to 3rd grade, responded Mrs. Hickey. The major difference between 3rd and 5th graders is fifth grade students are more mature and independent so they can do a little bit more independently.

Do you like teaching different grades? Mrs. Gentilli claimed that she does like getting to teach different grades, and has taught grades 1, 2, and 3. Also, she likes it because she gets to work with different teachers and different curriculum  in each grade. Mrs. Hickey shared that she also likes getting to teach different grades and she has been in grades 1, 3, and 5. She thinks it is good for teachers to get to teach different grades, so they can learn what kids are learning in other grades.

We wanted to know if they preferred their old room or their new room. Mrs. Gentilli prefers her new room better because it is much quieter and much cooler than her old room. Also, she gets the view of the trees instead of the kids at recess. She thinks her room is the best room in the building. Mrs. Hickey said that she likes her old room because she fixed it up over the years. She is getting used to her new room, but it is still a work in progress. She is starting to put things where they belong, trying to make it look like her old room.

Clementine and Roald Dahl books are favorite books Mrs. Gentilli likes to use with her students. She also likes to teach using Knuffle Bunny books because everyone can relate to them or has a favorite stuffed animal. She always likes to do some sort of countdown at the end of the year. A lot of things she does with the students, she can adapt from grade 2 to grade 3. Mrs. Hickey shared she can also adapt things from grade 5 to grade 3; she just has to make it easier. She likes to use picture books and her favorite books are William Steve and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

We were surprised to know that both Mrs. Gentilli and Mrs. Hickey like to read some of the same books that we do. They both also use some of the same strategies as each other. We hope they have a great rest of the year in grade 3.

By: Ava B. and Caroline  R.