As a
teacher of 4K, I have not been a part of the RTI process. At our school, it typically starts at first
grade although I believe some kindergarten teachers have used it from time to
time. Even though I have not been
officially involved in RTI, I have used some of the primary prevention methods
listed in the textbook. In particular, I
use small-group activities and learning centers every day in 4K. My students rotate through centers on a
weekly basis. Each day a different group
of four to five students come to my center for small group phonics
instruction. The next day they rotate to
another center. My assistant also has a
center, and there are three other independent learning centers.
One
strategy that I have not used a lot is peer tutoring. Since my kids can’t read (or write well) it
is difficult to implement peer tutoring.
Students do work together on projects in centers from time to time.
I have a
couple of children that I am concerned about.
I have one child that functions
more like a two-year old than a four-year old.
I have voiced my concerns to several school personnel but nothing has
been done yet. I have started paperwork for
her. She was recently approved to
receive money from Social Security so I know there are some documented
issues. For one thing, she refuses to
eat. She only drinks Pedia Sure from a
“Sippy” cup. However, mom says her
daughter doesn’t have a medical diagnosis.
I have another student that has not spoken all year, although his parents
say he talks at home. I feel that I need
to do a better job of advocating for these students.
It must be very hard to be the only teacher in your grade level. Of course, there are some advantages, such as always getting to do what you prefer. However, the disadvantages must outweigh the few positives. I am fortunate to be with a wonderfully supportive and dependable team of seven teachers. We split up the planning, responsibilities, and duties among the team. It has been a wonderful way to relieve some of the pressure that we face daily as teachers. As a second grade teacher, I find it frustrating to take a child through the process to receive additional services or help. The achievement gap is not "substantial enough" to qualify therefore we have to wait until fourth or fifth grade. These are precious years that students continue to fall behind. Being a 4K teacher must be extremely challenging since many believe young children need the time to "grow out" of abnormal behaviors. Of course, no one wants to mislabel or diagnosis a child, which is the reason behind RTI. However, RTI is designed for learning and not behavior issues. I hope you will be able to connect with some other 4K teachers within your school district! It is so helpful to be able to bounce ideas around with your peers.
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