Teacher Linda Alston sits on a child’s blue chair at the door of her classroom and greets each student before the day begins at Fairview Elementary School in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood.
By acknowledging each kindergartner with respect, she sets the tone that marks her teaching style. In the background, the song “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers plays softly.
“I just delight in calling forth their brilliance, their genius, and all of their gifts and talents,” Alston said.
Alston, who has taught for more than 25 years, is one of 10 national finalists for the inaugural Kinder Excellence in Teaching award. The $100,000 award is to be given to one outstanding public school teacher who teaches in a low-income community.
It is sponsored by the Knowledge Is Power Program, KIPP, a network of public charter schools in partnership with philanthropists Nancy and Rich Kinder of Houston. KIPP teachers are not eligible for the award, KIPP spokeswoman Debbie Fine said.
On Tuesday, an unusually calm classroom of 20 kindergartners starts by having breakfast. The 5-year-olds slowly pour their own milk, fill their bowls with cereal and strike up polite conversation. Then they take turns washing their dishes.
The meal is practice for tea time later in the morning to celebrate the accomplishments of 5-year-old Oscar Marquez, who is doing particularly well in reading, math and writing.
In the back of the room, a silver teapot, a set of china and a plate of cookies await the children and guest Lina Marquez, Oscar’s mother.
Oscar carefully lays out a place setting for his mother with the delicate plates and cups and a cloth napkin.
The tea ceremony is a staple in Alston’s classes, and students have handled her china for years without breaking any, said Denver Public Schools assessment specialist Mary Ann Bash, who nominated Alston for the award to be given this summer.
Tea time shows Alston’s faith in the children and their respect for her.
“They learn how to respectfully handle delicate items. They’re in Mrs. Alston’s world,” Bash said. “Everything is elegant. Everything has purpose and design.”
At tea time, the children are encouraged to ask their guests questions from a list posted on a wall. “What movies are your favorite?” a little girl asked.
“What makes you happy?” another offered.
“What toys do you play with at home?” is a popular question.
They break up into small groups, some working on mathematics while others read passages from Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address when he was president of South Africa. They learned geometry in a discussion of ellipsoids and ovoids.
They’re surrounded by colorful decorations, including a picture of Alston’s teaching inspiration, the legendary Mary McLeod Bethune, who founded the first teaching college for African-American women.
On the walls are posters with encouraging words: “I am happy and I am brilliant,” one reads.
Alston’s teaching stays with students and parents long after they leave the classroom.
Ruth White, the mother of former student Ruby White, said Alston often took children to City Park, but not for the usual tour of museums.
Instead, she found elderly fisherman and encouraged them to tell the children about their lives.
William Simmons, a freshman at the University of Tampa in Florida, recalled field trips around Denver that helped him see the city for the first time.
He had one bit of advice for future Alston students:
“Be prepared to learn.”
Staff writer Annette Espinoza can be reached at 303-820-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com.
