Through the Eyes of a First-Grader

Elementary School Teacher Reaches Out to Diverse Classroom

By Bill Snead

Monday, February 11, 2008

Editor's note: Journalist Bill Snead visited this first-grade class at Guilford Elementary School toward the end of the 2007 school year. Today, these students are in second grade and Ceci Albecker is now one of five first-grade teachers at Sycolin Creek Elementary School south of Leesburg. Sycolin Creek opened in September 2007.

It's a few minutes past 7 a.m. and Ceci Albecker is in her Guilford Elementary School classroom in Sterling. She's at her desk going over her day's game plan, a list that reminds her just where she and her 18 first-graders left off when yesterday's school day ended -- and what's on tap for today.

All is quiet at the moment, and there is hardly an unused space on the walls or shelves. They're neatly covered with bright posters, the letters of the alphabet, artwork, a "word wall," and stuffed animals. Paper windsocks dangle from the ceiling. The walls are in warm, rich colors that form a comfortable, ever-changing cocoon around the room.

It looks like it might help hold a 6 year old's attention for seven hours a day. Or as Albecker puts it, "there is a maternal factor in creating a homey kind of place that allows these children to be who they are and at the same time adapt to others around them."

Isabel Carter is the first student through the door and it's still 15 minutes before class begins. Others are close behind. Carlos Contreras approaches Mrs. Albecker to tell her about a rabbit he saw on his way to school. She eases down to a knee and listens intently as if they are the only people in the room. She pats him on his shoulder as he heads to his desk. Soon, the class is accounted for, with two students absent.

"As you can see, we have a new student today (me with a camera and notebook)," Albecker said. "You can call him Bill. Just carry on your day and let him do his thing ... You focus on your work and he'll focus on his," she said.

"OK," she warns her students, "here's what we do on your morning paper."

This single sentence opens the gates for the next seven hours. The day gets less constructive at physical education class and during lunch but the give-and-take among the first-grade students never stops.

Sunflowers, S-i-s-t-e-r and Scrapes

Albecker's alarm clock went off at 4:45 a.m. An hour later she was on Route 7 heading east. She's been making this 50-mile commute for six years and times it to arrive at Guilford a few minutes after 7 a.m. Most days she's back on the road between 5 and 6 p.m.

Her travel scenario also factors in bad weather, accidents and heaven forbid, car problems.

"Kevin, of course you can figure out what to do ... how do we do this paper, Danny? ... excellent job, Danny ... what sweetie? ... you can color using your markers ... doesn't anyone know what kind of plant this is? ... 'sunflower' ... yes ma'am," Albecker says, smiling at Paola Buruca Romero.

A hand goes up and Allison Kelley asks, "Why do we need seeds"?

"We need seeds because they grow into new flowers ... that's just the way nature is, sweetheart," Albecker says.

The loudspeaker suddenly comes alive and announces the day's lunch choices: Grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, taco salad, chef's salad and a bagel/yogurt combo. Choices are noted. Most bring lunch from home, or "pack."

Albecker asks the class for the name of today's leader.

Most shout, "Kevin."

"Yes, our leader is Kevin and you know Kevin got his tooth set yesterday," says their teacher, "so he won't be hurting like he has been and we'll have to mark that on our calendar, won't we?"

Back to the sunflower.

Pablo announces he doesn't have a brown marker and is reminded to raise his hand before talking.

"Honey," Mrs. Albecker says, "I don't have a brown marker, either ... let's borrow. Ray, would you mind if Pablo borrowed your brown?"

No problem.

Photo: Bill Snead

Mrs. Albecker borrowed Aaron King's sunglasses while he read some of his ideas to the class.

Mrs. Albecker gives sunflowers a rest and moves to the next drill, which is sounding out words. Sitting in a white rocker, she points to the word 'sister' on her easel.

"How many syllables?" she asks.

Edgar replies, "two."

How did he figure that out, his teacher asks.

"I counted on my fingers," he says, causing Mrs. Albecker to chuckle.

A voice volunteers, "I have four sisters." Another says two. Stephanie says she has three.

Mrs. Albecker: "I always wanted one but never got it."

She points to 'sister' and asks the class to spell it out loud.

Photo: Bill Snead

"Now, " Mrs. Albecker said, "are we going to be very quiet in the halls?" Her class whispered their answer: "Yes."

"S-i-s-t-e-r, sister, sister," comes out sounding like a cheer. The letters are moved to the easel and reassembled to spell 'sister.' "Mix them up, Francisco."

A frowning student raises her arm and begins to lodge a complaint.

"Now that would be tattling," her teacher says, "and we don't tattle unless there is someone getting hurt. That's our classroom rule."

The would-be tattler keeps her frown but lowers her arm.

Out of nowhere: "I have two step-sisters."

Teacher points to a new list of words and explains that "we have 'ou' and it's pronounced 'ow.'"

This brings us back to sunflowers and a poem, "Little Brown Seeds."

"Here we go, eyes up here ... eyes on the poem ... "little brown seeds, 'here we go,' little brown seeds so small and brown are quietly sleeping under ground. Down come the rain drops sprinkle, sprinkle -- 'come on now I want to hear those voices' -- here comes the rain fall twinkle, twinkle. Little brown seeds way down below up through the earth they grow, grow, grow. Little green leaves come one by one they hold up their heads and look for the sun."

"Grow, grow, grow," says a young, enthusiastic voice.

The group, armed with white writing boards and felt markers, is asked to move to the green rug. The teacher is back in her white rocking chair next to a very large display board.

"How many fingers am I holding up," she asks with a grin.

"None," Luis says.

"Good answer," she says, beaming.

She asks Pablo to "tell us" about vowels.

"Two vowels go walking," he says, "and the first one does the talking."

We were on a roll.

After 15 minutes of word exercises, the students head back to their desks. On the way, Francisco shows Isabel a scrape on his arm. "Ooo," she says, and points to a similar scrape on her knee, which prompts everyone in the vicinity to begin pointing out boo-boos.

There's apparently a lot of broken skin in the room.

Learning Experiences

It's time for lunch, and a line forms inside the classroom's door. After walking quietly down the hall, we form another line outside the cafeteria. There are lots of lines.

Photo: Bill Snead

It's early in the morning and the questions aren't getting easier.

Teachers don't eat lunch in the cafeteria. Non-teaching adults monitor the students. Many, like our teacher, spend that time eating their "packed" lunch in their classroom preparing for the next round.

For these first-graders, it's a time to gossip about brothers and sisters and television shows and upcoming birthdays. And, surprisingly, there is lots of talk about the fat content in today's food. It's a surprise to most that their milk contains fat.

When their teacher returns to escort them back to class, two girls at a second-grade table wave and call the teacher's name. It's one of the nicer compliments a teacher can get from former students. She kneels down beside them. They exchange smiles and chatter.

"That was Iris Le and Megan Wilhelm," she said later, "They're part of my heart."

According to Guilford Elementary principal David Stewart, the school's 375 students -- kindergarten through fifth grade -- represent 80 countries. That's 80. There is a display of their countries' flags in the Sterling Park school's cafeteria.

Albecker considers that a plus and happily accepts the challenge.

"Teaching children, especially children from around the world, has taught me that they have much wisdom to impart to their peers and to me," she said. "They've had life experiences that have given them insights that enrich our learning environment and, in turn, I'm richer for my experiences."

'If They Don't Learn, I've Failed'

Albecker's classroom décor says a lot.

"I try to provide them with a safe and nurturing environment to explore and to learn," she said. "In the end I hope to create students who are also lifelong learners as well as caring, confident members of our society."

She added that during her six years at Guilford, she has had students enter her class who speak almost no English and have little or no formal education.

"Regardless of their background they are all individuals who learn in many different ways and it's my job to figure out how to make their school experience a good one," Albecker said, "Simply put, if they don't learn, I've failed to do my job."

Photo: Bill Snead

Yesenia Ponce-Martinez, Carlos Contreras and Sonny Pandher try to figure out the pieces of a photo puzzle.

Although a few of us are running low on energy, the final two hours of the day are as busy as the first. We work on fractions and later read for Mrs. Albecker (quietly) from our library books. If she finds a book is below our potential, we find a more difficult one. That's followed by "Around the World," a competitive math flash-card game that involves the entire class. Isabel wins.

There is another physical education class. While her students are on the playground, Albecker grades homework.

The school day for us finally ends at 2:35 p.m., and by 2:50 p.m., all of the students are out of the building. For this older first-grader, the day has been nothing short of mind-blowing. The days of "reading, writing and 'rithmatic" are long gone.

First-graders, in order to keep up with the world, are expected to do homework. Their teacher drives 100 miles a day, is up before dawn and gets home after sundown -- and in between, stays at least one step ahead of 18 6-year-olds.

Truly admirable and amazing.

Bill Snead can be contacted at sneadb@washpost.com.

Tagged: education, elementary schools, Guilford Elementary School, Sterling

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