Abilene teachers prepare for start of school year

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – Time is winding down for the first day of school in the Key City, and teachers have been preparing to welcome their new students on their big day.

Robin Whitmire, a kindergarten teacher at Wylie East Elementary, said while the summer break is relaxing, the thought of her new students is exciting.

“The break is nice just to kind of reset and recharge, but this is our passion. We just love these kids so much, and we always look forward to another year,” Whitmire said.

As a kindergarten teacher, Whitmire understands that kindergarten is the starting point of education for many of her students. She makes the transition easier by making her classroom homey with things like her family wall.

“Lots of them come in really nervous. They don’t want to say bye to Mom and Dad. I really want to make this place feel like a home for them,” Whitmire said. “When they come to school on Wednesday morning, they get to go over there and look at that. That’s also an area where they can go, if any day throughout the year, if they’re feeling sad or miss mom or dad, grandma, grandpa or whoever, they can go and look at that and just have a sense of comfort.”

Across the hall in Abby Maronski’s classroom, her special classroom spot, her reading carpet, lies right at the front. She told KTAB/KRBC it is a place of stability during the school year.

“Everyone has their own spot. It’s where we meet every day for a morning meeting, where we read stories together, talk about our day, and introduce ourselves to each other. That’s really just our main spot in our classroom,” Maronski explained.

Maronski recommends that parents ease into kindergarten independence at home.

“Practicing eating lunch, sitting at a table for an extended period of time, opening lunch supplies, really just being a little bit more independent maybe than they are at home. Walking in a line. Some of them have never done that,” Maronski said.

Wylie ISD will have ‘Meet the Teacher’ night at its respective campuses on Monday. Along with Abilene ISD, school starts on Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.