“Do you need a friend to play with?”

First thing in the morning, the students in Amy Maxwell’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class have gathered in clusters: three boys are playing with a dollhouse, one girl is painting on an easel, and three kids are practicing how to make the letter M. Maxwell strolls through the room, chatting with her young charges about their weekends, facilitating their play, and looking unfazed by random moments; when a student solemnly presents her with a stray marble, she ceremonially accepts it.

After some students make a trip to the library to pick out new books, Maxwell rings a small bell: it’s time for the morning meeting. Flanked by Maxwell and Assistant Teacher Dianne Mackey, fourteen students sit on a carpet, volunteering information about nail polish and Captain Blackbeard. “I learned a magic trick this weekend,” she tells them. “I turn around and close my eyes, and when I turn back, you’re all sitting the way TK should be sitting. Do you want to see it?”

The students enthusiastically agree, and amazingly, the trick works: when she turns around, they are all sitting cross-legged and looking at her attentively. 

The morning meeting also includes sharing time, where students show off treasures from home; a dancing game that helps them learn their classmates’ names; and a cooperative exercise where they mirror each other’s movements. They pair up to tell each other about their weekends — and then have to share the stories of their partners with the room. 

Maxwell then previews the schedule for the day: after snack time, they will go to Spanish class and then meet a new letter puppet from Letter Land. The children cheer.

Why is Transitional Kindergarten important?

What drew me to the TK program at Latin is that we’re whole child centered and we understand how important the foundational level of education is. TK is about following the child and knowing that the physical, emotional and cognitive development are all there, but they’re not all aligned quite yet. You might have a TK student who’s reading but needs help regulating their emotions, for example. We’re unlocking all of their unique gifts. 

Charlotte Latin’s theme this year is courage — how does that apply to TK students?

I think TK kids are the most courageous students on campus. They’re so small and they’re coming into this big campus that’s K-12. And most of them are riding the bus for the first time. How courageous is that, to step onto a bus with people that you’ve never met before, going to a place that you’ve seen maybe once before? We were all there once, but you forget how hard it is.

At this age, they’re trying so many new things. They see older kids reading and writing and doing big math and they want to as well. That takes a lot of courage too: there’s going to be failures along the way. We teach them that failure is building that resiliency and strength.

Do you remember being that old yourself?

I was a very nervous child in new situations. I remember wanting to walk into a classroom where I feel welcomed. I also remember that once I felt safe, I loved to talk. I was often told that I was talking too much, but that was just my way of trying to understand the world around me. I try to be empathetic about that — when children are verbal in my class, it’s coming from a place of curiosity. Over the year, we learn when it’s time to talk and when it’s time to listen. But I know the intent is pure because I was that child: I was quiet and timid until I felt safe, and then I was wide open.

When did you realize that you wanted to be a teacher?

I always knew. My mom says that when I was young, in preschool or Kindergarten, she would never have to ask me what I did that day in school, because when she came into my room, I’d have all my dolls and stuffed animals lined up in front of a chalkboard and I was teaching them exactly what I learned that day. 

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing with your life?

I’d be a photographer. I was the photography editor of my high school yearbook: I loved the idea of going to a different country and photographing the people and animals there. You learn so much about culture doing that.

Have you spent time abroad?

I graduated from college here in Charlotte, majoring in elementary education. But then my grandfather passed away, which awakened the feeling that life was short and that staying in one place wasn’t going to help me grow as a person. So I hopped on a plane to South Korea. I had never been to Asia and I didn’t know a single person there, but I knew I was ready to grow and see where life took me. I stayed in South Korea about 15 months, teaching ESL to Kindergarten and preschool kids.

I didn’t feel like my time was done, so I moved to Japan for three years, where I taught in a bilingual immersion Kindergarten. I was about an hour and a half south of Tokyo, so every morning I would wake up and see Mount Fuji from my bedroom window. I learned so much about how to manage a classroom in Korea and Japan. I was always awestruck at how they could get 20 three-year-olds to change from one school uniform to another and fold their clothes and put them away. Some children were initially in tears changing their uniform, but within a week, they could do it and they felt so proud. I hold that standard very close in my classroom: my students can do so much more than they think they can do and that the world thinks they can do. 

How did you know it was time to come home?

Every adventure is wonderful, but I missed my family deeply. I felt in my body I was ready to take what I had learned and bring it home.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I don’t know if it’s advice, necessarily, but can I give you a quote that I’ve lived by for many years? I wrote it down on a Post-It note and I try to remember it during difficult times: “Growth is where your discomfort is.”

Is there a book that your students reliably fall in love with?

Every year, they love The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak, the actor from The Office. The book makes it seem like it’s tricking the adult reading it into saying things that they shouldn’t say. It doesn’t matter how many times you read it or who comes in to read it, they think it’s hilarious.

How are you a better teacher now than when you started at Latin?

I have a lot more confidence in myself. And I’ve gained a wealth of information from the other educators here. In our TK team, we feed off each other and collaborate. I’ve learned so much from them about cognitive development and the latest research on this age group. I’ve also taught at Montessori schools, but I’m not an “all or nothing” type of person. I’ve been fortunate to teach in diverse school settings that have different underlying educational philosophies. Blending research, ideas, and strategies in my own classroom has been very fulfilling — I believe I’ve created a classroom environment that supports all my little learners.

Do your classrooms feel different from year to year?

Yes and no. The personalities can be very different. Sometimes you have a very curious bunch who want to figure things out and talk it through, and you have to build on their needs. Sometimes you get a group that’s more closed off and you have to pull a little more. But consistently I find that the children are ready to be social. A trend I’ve seen is that the students who start together in TK remain close. The students from my first year teaching at Latin are now in third grade and I can see that those children are still close friends.

Is there anything you’d like the parents of TK children to know?

Whether we’re going to the store or going to school, we want kids to keep up with us, but we adults need to understand that children aren’t on our timeline. Children feel so satisfied when they can complete a task that was difficult, even if dressing themselves takes 20 minutes. I would love for parents to give children time and patience so they can try new tasks independently, and have faith that they can do it.