September 29, 2026Excellence in Action: Part #4 | Ms. Molly Small, Kindergarten

Excellence in Action:
Inside the Classrooms of Aberdeen Hall

What does exceptional teaching actually look like in practice? In this series, former High School Principal Grant Ozechowski visits classrooms across all three divisions to observe authentic, everyday learning and ask students directly what makes their teachers great. Each feature highlights how our faculty bring the core pillars and key actions of Aberdeen Hall’s Strategic Direction to life.

Strategic Pillar: Our Programs
Key Actions:  Designing Dynamic and Responsive Learning

“Mr. Oz, smell my lunchkit.”

The words are said without an iota of sarcasm or irony. These are the earnest words of a Kindergarten student waiting patiently to head out for morning recess, who genuinely feels his lunchkit has a scent worthy of appreciating. It isn’t exactly the topic I expected to explore when I joined Ms. Small’s class an hour earlier. However, here I am. So, I do what any self-respecting Kindergarten teacher would do, and take a tentative whiff.

“Lots of bananas in there, Mr. Oz!” he says, his ear-to-ear smile beaming. And with that, the class heads out to the playground and my visit ends.

I chose Ms. Small’s class because Molly was once one of my own students. I watched her grow from a keen elementary student into a capable high school graduate. So, when I had the chance to visit her Kindergarten class, I leapt at it.

Today’s lesson starts on the carpet, each child with their own square. I squeeze myself onto my allocated space beside two of my new Kindergarten friends and wait for Ms. Small to start. The morning has been dedicated to writing skills. The students spent the previous block working on monster stories, and now they are switching gears to tackle more scientific writing. The topic today is animals and migration.

Ms. Small spends a few minutes reviewing what they studied the previous day, then shows them a short video on three animals who migrate. The students then move from the carpet to their assigned tables, working and collaborating with their tablemates to jot down details related to their chosen animal. Ms. Small moves from group to group, posing questions, prompting each child, and encouraging them to add “one more important detail to their page.”

We move back to the carpet again, where Ms. Small revisits some of the writing tips they’ve been working on previously. She shows them the video again, only this time she asks them to pick one more detail they can add to their writing. “Don’t forget your writer’s checklist,” she says, “really try to add a ‘Wow’ word.” With that, the students scurry back to their tables, eager to add to their written work.

I wedge myself into one of the tiny, Kindergarten-sized chairs beside a group of children. Normally when I visit classes, I try to engage with the students, mining them for insights, asking them questions, and gathering data. I’ve met my match in Molly’s class (hence the aforementioned lunchkit comment). Most of my questions are quickly answered, and then followed up with unexpected counter-questions and unrelated details. When I ask, “What does Ms. Small do to make class great?”, the immediate answers are, “she is so kind”, “she gives us pompoms” and, “we get to do centres.” But they also quickly volunteer information like:

"See my airplane? My dad can make really cool paper airplanes!" "My sister is four." "My shoes have blue lights on them!"
There really is nothing like Kindergarten.

Ms. Small makes it work. When she speaks to the class, it is like every word is the most important word ever said, each syllable carefully enunciated, each phrase delivered with the drama of a Shakespearean soliloquy, her eyes wide with excitement. It’s a delicate balance, though. Too much enthusiasm and the students will get too wound-up to focus; too little and they will start contemplating the playground.

Ms. Small nails the lesson, masterfully moving from task to task, from carpet to tables. Her patient voice guides the students with a firm tone and a dramatic flair. There is little time wasted, each minute designed to maximize the attention span of the five-year-olds swirling around her. During my visit, we learn about Arctic Terns, Humpback Whales, and Caribou. We figure out what migration is. Our class talks about capitals and punctuation. We discuss adjectives and “Wow” words, and practice decoding new terms using morphographs. Each teachable moment is deliberately curated and skillfully facilitated. Oh yes, and there is still time to explore the mysteries of fragrant lunchkits. 

It was a wonderful morning in Ms. Small’s Kindergarten class.