Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Success

From Struggles to Scribbles: A Pre-K Teacher’s Literacy Triumph Inspires Little Learners

Sandra Robledo proudly stands in her Pre-K classroom after school.

Every morning at 7:15 a.m., 20 three- to five-year-olds run into a colorful classroom at West View Elementary, ready for the day ahead.

Pre-K teacher Sandra Robledo has each day planned for them down to the minute so they know what to expect every time they come to school.

After a trip to the cafeteria for breakfast, the class returns to their room for a group read-aloud and a nursery rhyme. 

“In Pre-K, we work on phonemic awareness and pre-skills, like some of the letters, letter sounds, and what starts with what letter. Then they need to know their name and how to write their name,” she said. “If you introduce these skills in Pre-K, they’ll be better prepared in kindergarten.”

Building on strong foundational literacy skills is a priority for Knox County Schools, especially as studies have shown that students who are not proficient readers by third grade are four times less likely than their peers to graduate high school.

This is why the Learning and Literacy Department and the Early Childhood Department provide high-quality instructional material in every classroom, starting with Pre-K.

Robledo said the improvement she has seen in her students “has been amazing” since Heggerty was implemented three years ago. 

“They’re sponges,” she said. “It’s important for me to know that the kids are getting high-quality teaching, but also care as well.”

She holds back tears as she recalls how “Pre-K chose me.”

Robledo returned to Knoxville from teaching at an international school in Caracas, Venezuela, when she attended a KCS Hiring Fair. She thought she might teach first or second grade, but as she wandered around the booths and tables of local schools looking for her future home away from home, she saw Carol Idol, the former Pre-K program coordinator, waving an application at her. 

“I thought, ‘Wow, I might want to try that,’ so Carol brought me to West View. I knew this was the school I wanted to be in,” she said. “I’m so happy here!”

This year marks a decade at West View, but she’s been a lifelong educator, as she began teaching children English when she was 16 in her home country of Colombia.

“I was a struggling student, so I felt like I could help kids that were also struggling or have trouble learning,” Robledo said. “That compassion came from a home that always wanted to help.”

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Success

Two New Preschools Open In Knox County

Knox County Schools serves tens of thousands of students every year, from three years old in preschool to seniors in high school. This year, two new preschools have been established as standalone schools to help serve the youngest members of the KCS community. 

Separating a preschool from an elementary school means a preschool-specific principal is added to the staff, the number of classrooms available increases to serve more students, and the district is able to make a more targeted effort to support early learners.

Cedar Bluff Preschool, which used to be part of Cedar Bluff Elementary, is being led by principal April Partin. Jason Harris is overseeing Karns Preschool, formerly with Karns Elementary, as principal. Several elementary schools in the district also have preschools that are operated as a singular entity under one principal.

The new preschools are a step toward achieving Excellence in Foundational Skills, one of the district’s Four Priorities.

“I do have some early literacy background that when I was a teacher to learn and focus on literacy,” Partin said. “How the brain develops in its foundational years has always been important to me as a person, as a teacher, as a mom. There’s so many levels of that, that I feel this spotlight on literacy values all of those experiences with preschool.”

Introducing foundational literacy to students at this age is laying the groundwork as they prepare for kindergarten. 

Preschool supervisor Beth Lackey explained, “We are working on letters and letter sounds, and how sounds work together to make words, and answering questions, and building vocabulary, and learning to love books.” She continued, “All of those things set them up for success because if we want kids to read on grade level in third grade, we know we need to start early.”

The new preschools also aim to promote growth in other areas of students’ lives, including a behavior liaison who has been added to school staff to promote social-emotional growth in students. Preschool-aged children experience significant brain development and providing a space to learn social skills is essential.

“Going through these skills like working with kids on how to open this, how to ask for help, how to sit your bottom in the chair, how to be in a big group,” Harris said. “Everything we do here, the teachers are involved. They’re interacting with kids on the playground, in breakfast, in lunch, in small groups. No one’s left by themselves doing a worksheet.”

Preschool classrooms are designed to foster rich, social learning. Tables are arranged in groups, and “centers” house interactive materials to teach math and literacy. Brightly colored posters line the walls and stuffed chameleons accompany the Connect 4 Learning curriculum that has been adopted by the preschools.

“It is a STEM-based curriculum, so our students are learning how to think like scientists,” Lackey said. 

Being a brand-new school also means principals are looking for community partners to donate time or supplies and create a mutually beneficial relationship in the community. 

“We want to work together,” Harris said. “It truly does take a village.”

If you are interested in learning more about preschool at KCS or you are ready to register your student, email Beth Lackey at beth.lackey@knoxschools.org.

More information can be found at knoxschools.org/prek.

KCS is committed to Excellence in Foundational Skills and highlighting the people who do incredible work in our district. Know someone who should be featured in Hall Pass for their dedication to the district’s Four Priorities? Submit their name and story to kaleigh.cortez@knoxschools.org.

Kaleigh Walker Community Partners

“Lunch & Learn” Discusses Foundational Literacy

Members of the Knox County community gathered on Friday for a “Lunch and Learn” discussion at Pellissippi State Community College, a conversation that focused on awareness and advocacy of foundational literacy.

The Lunch and Learn series was initiated by KCS Board of Education Member Betsy Henderson in partnership with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, the Knox County Education Foundation, and tnAchieves, to focus on current themes in education, both locally and statewide.

“The issues we’re hearing a lot this year are focused on literacy and foundational literacy,” Henderson said. “We wanted to focus on that, especially with Dr. Rysewyk’s priority on foundational skills. That’s one thing that personally, as a mom, is important to me.”

Panelists for Friday’s event included Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn, KCS Executive Director for Learning and Literacy Dr. Erin Phillips, and SCORE Chief K-12 Impact Officer Dr. Sharon Roberts.

Phillips addressed the technical side of how students can increase their knowledge to build literacy, saying it’s important for them to master the foundational skills that pave the way for understanding more complex material.

Schwinn emphasized the importance of the group effort that is needed for building literacy, that goes beyond the classroom and into the home.

“Really strong early literacy instruction is so engaging,” Schwinn said. “Part of early literacy, part of teaching is really that partnership between the child and his or her teacher, the partnership of his or her teacher and the parent, and how together, we can crack the code.”

The goal of the event is to be more than just a luncheon where attendees learn from the panelists, but also to challenge community members with specific action items.

“Read as much as you can on this topic,” Roberts said. “Become as knowledgeable as you can on this topic. Read to children. I would encourage us to read on varying topics to build their knowledge.”

The next Lunch and Learn will likely focus on teacher recruitment and retention, and all events are open to the public.