WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT KINDERGARTEN

Kindergartner Ricky Ellis took a nap in Charlotte Edwards' class while other children played.

Nell Holcomb kindergartners Tori Ourt, 5, and Artie Maupin, 5, drew pictures of a person in their first art class.

Kindergarten students shouldn't chew gum, spit out candy or put water in the glue at school.

That's just some of the advice offered by first-graders at Nell Holcomb School in Cape Girardeau County.

"Never smart off to the teacher," said 6-year-old Lucas Schenimann.

He also pointed out that kindergartners have to learn their ABCs.

Classmate Caleb Hosey said they even had to do math.

Becca Sweet said they had to keep the toys on the floor.

They also had to listen to the teacher, said Hannah Knott.

Knott and her classmates had half-day kindergarten last year. This year, kindergarten has been expanded to a full day.

Knott said she liked half-day kindergarten because she didn't have to take a nap.

Students aren't allowed to hit each other on the school buses and they aren't supposed to butt in line, said first-grader Robert Tyler Edmonds.

Jessie Hahn enjoyed riding the school bus last year. "What I liked about it is we didn't have to buckle," she confided.

Charlotte Edwards has been teaching kindergarten for 24 years. Much of her teaching career has been spent at the Nell Holcomb School.

"You have to love this age," said Edwards, seated behind a desk whose front was covered with colorful letters of the alphabet.

On the chalkboard, she had drawn a stick figure of herself.

Edwards said it is important for students to get off to a good start in kindergarten. Children's views of school are shaped early on.

"You've got to make a loving impression on them,' she said.

Kindergarten can be a challenging time for children.

"We don't realize how big everything looks to them," she said. "Everything is new to them."

Even carrying a lunch tray is a new experience for many kindergartners, she said.

Those youngsters who have been in day care have a head start when it comes to following classroom rules, Edwards said.

But for those entering a classroom setting for the first time, all the rules are a new experience.

"If they are thirsty, they want a drink then," she said. "It is hard for them to learn that they have to wait for something."

Expectations are higher today. Kindergarten students are expected to come into class knowing at least most of their letters.

At this age, children are quick learners.

But they need plenty of loving supervision. "They are just babies and you have to remember that," she said with a smile.

Edwards enjoys story time the most. She loves to read to kindergartners.

Edwards said playing post office is still a part of kindergarten life.

For Edwards, there is nothing better than teaching kindergarten. "It keeps me young," she said.