AP photo Building a rocket made of cardboard boxes is one way to capture kids’ attention when they learn about outer space, Nelson said.

At a glance, it’s easy to see there’s a lot going on in Cindy Nelson’s kindergarten classroom at True Light Christian School.

Students’ artwork lines the walls and bulletin boards.

A space rocket built from cardboard boxes stands at one end of the room, and the windowsill is home to a row of sprouting potted plants.

A lot of the items tied into the kids’ science learning, which Nelson themed around the different parts of God’s creation.

“We were doing creation day three,” which included the creation of plants, Nelson said. Getting to plant their own seeds was exciting for the kids, she said. “Anything they can take care of like that.”

Teaching kindergarteners means you have to be able to change gears quickly, because the students can, Nelson said. But one of the best parts of her job is seeing kids’ creativity, and how excited they are to learn.

“It’s my goal to see the individual way each child is made, and to really celebrate that,” Nelson said. She wants to help meet her students’ needs, and help them learn who they are.

Nelson started her teaching career in the Slayton public school district, but she has worked at True Light since 1993.

“True Light was just adding their kindergarten program,” Nelson said. It was special to be part of the start of the whole program, and she’s loved teaching at True Light for the past 28 years. “Every year you say it’s the best class you’ve ever had, and it’s kinda true,” she said.

Nelson said being part of True Light’s community has been one of the many great things about teaching there. With small class sizes, she’s had an opportunity to get to know students and their families. And because of the dynamics of the school, students who have gone on to junior high or high school have stayed in touch.

Nelson said one of the things she’s always enjoyed about teaching kindergarteners is seeing them first start learning to read. “Then, I can sit with small groups of kids and see the process happen,” she said. It’s exciting for both her and students to see that knowledge unfold.

She’s also tried to have creative ways for her students to learn about the world around them. The cardboard rocket was part of activities to learn about space and the moon. Students “take off” from the rocket, and go on “space walks,” Nelson said.

“We visit different space labs, that are different classrooms,” she said. Finally, students visit the gymnasium to ride “moon buggy” scooters.

This past school year has been a challenging one, as schools adapt to COVID-19 precautions. True Light has been able to offer in-person learning most of the year, but there have been times when families needed to use distance learning technology.

“It’s hard because so much of (kindergarteners’) learning is relational,” Nelson said. It’s not easy for young students to build up those relationships or learn how to treat others through distance learning. But at the same time, Nelson said she’s been thankful for technology like Zoom because it’s brought her closer to students’ families as they worked from home or helped their children with school.

“I had an opportunity to really get to know some of the dads,” Nelson said. “Or little sisters will say hi.”

This year will bring another big change for Nelson — she will be retiring after this spring. Nelson said she will really miss having the opportunity to build relationships with students and families at True Light. So far, it hasn’t really felt like the end, she said, though it may be harder for her in the fall when she doesn’t have to prepare for school any more.

For now, she said, “I don’t feel like I’m really retiring. I feel like I’m changing direction.”