Kia Davenport retired from teaching third grade at Greene Street Friends in 2009, but she wasn’t gone for long! The following fall she was back on campus, substituting in various classrooms and, occasionally, at the front desk in Hargroves House. This spring she is spending eight weeks helping out in Lois’s Kindergarten.

When asked about the similarities and difference between third graders and kindergartners, she immediately jumped to academics. “There are a lot of similarities. Both ages are really excited about writing.  In kindergarten, students use phonetic spelling and in third grade students learn to use dictionary spelling. With the kindergartners, it is interesting to see when the words and story come together, how much it means to them.” She also notes that in third grade students are excited to be challenging themselves about how long their sentences are and how long a paper or story they can write. If you had Kia as your third grade teacher, you will remember writing quite a few research papers!

One difference that Kia notices these days is that the size of the student body is significantly larger. But what matters to her most is the School’s sense of community. She notes, “I feel lucky that even though the numbers have grown, we’ve maintained that small school feeling – that’s what keeps me coming back, year after year.”

Having the Kindergarten join Meeting for Worship with their eighth grade partners right after spring break was a special moment. “It is nice to see how caring this group of eighth graders is.” As a third grade teacher, she would watch the kindergartners to see if they could be quiet throughout Meeting, some succeeding more than others. This year, she helped teach her pupils how to be quiet in their minds and bodies and how to enjoy the silence.

In the past few weeks Kia has enjoyed visits from former students. “I saw Peter and Kennedy and, before spring break, Miles and Michele came back,” she observes. “It is so nice that they still have warm feelings and want to see their teachers.”

“I can’t imagine my life without kids,” Kia reflects. “And this school has allowed me to keep kids in it, and I appreciate that.” That said, a day in the Kindergarten is pretty busy and tiring. So she takes the time to create her own quiet space. “I go home and sit in my GSFS rocking chair and drink hot chocolate or tea, rocking for about 15 minutes. It works for me!”

Do you want to send Kia a note? Email eharmar@greenestreetfriends.org and we’ll forward it on to her.