By Stacey Plaisance / L’Observateur / January 18, 1999

NEW SARPY – Third-grade students serve as teachers and role models for kindergartners at New Sarpy Elementary School with a new reading system.

Georgia Knight’s third-grade class visits Monique Massi’s kindergarten class every Friday to read fascinating books to the younger students. Manypeople would cringe at the thought of so many children being brought together at once, but the system has worked amazingly well, Massi said.

“I can’t believe how well they all get along,” Massi said. “The younger kidsreally look up to the older ones, and they pay attention when they read.”Knight has been a teacher with the St. Charles Parish School System foralmost 20 years. She said she has used this reading system in the past andwould encourage other teachers to utilize the program.

“We’ve done this before, but many teachers don’t realize how well it works,” Knight said. “It really works out great, especially with the agedifference in the students.”Massi said the age difference allows for student mentoring opportunities.

The attention span of the younger students is lengthened as the kindergartners tend to imitate the behaviors of the older students, she explained.

“I want other teachers to realize how well this system has worked and implement it in their own classrooms,” Massi said. “It’s great for thekids, and it gives the teachers a little break.”Massi’s kindergartners said they really look forward to their reading partners visiting on Fridays.

“I like when they read and have good stories,” Megan Flynn said.

“I feel happy when they’re here,” Jessica Kenny said.

Corey Patterson said he likes when the third-graders read books from the reading center in his classroom.

“They like to read the books in the reading center, and I like that,” Patterson said. “Those are good books.”Massi said her kindergartners also read books to the third-graders on occasion.

“My class makes their own books, and then they read them to the older kids,” Massi said. “This makes them feel special and important, and theyrealize that they can read just like the older kids.

“I have a lot of hard workers in this class, and I’m very proud of them,” she said.Back to Top

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