The Seeds of Success are Planted in Kindergarten
Nataira Hamilton, ReGen Parent and Teacher
We spoke to a ReGeneration Schools Kindergarten teacher and parent from CICS Washington Park, Ms. Nataira Hamilton, to learn more about how ReGeneration is helping its youngest students build a foundation for academic success.
Reflecting on her own experiences in early education, Ms. Hamilton knows she is teaching Kindergarteners more than the ABC’s.
ReGen Kindergartners are learning how letters make sounds, how sounds build words, and how knowing this can expand the world around them. Ms. Hamilton believes children who attend Kindergarten become more confident students in later years. This early socialization and learning is important in building upon and rounding out a child’s education.
ReGen prioritizes student joy within its challenging curriculum. Fostering joy in the classroom is a key driver not only in making students happy but also in forming high-achieving students.
She detailed the importance of the Joy Factor, which ReGen teachers use every day in the classroom. The Joy Factor is an instructional technique used to reinforce lesson objectives and concepts (with songs, chants, rhymes, actions, etc.) while drawing students into the content as well as building class culture, a school community and fostering a sense of belonging.
Ms. Hamilton explains, “ReGeneration Schools is a community of educators who care passionately and believe in the work. It’s a place to be challenged as a student, with a rigorous curriculum plan while also attending a safe, and nurturing home!”
