By Shepard Adamson

A sign hanging in the 2nd Grade hallway. Photo credit: Shepard Adamson.

On May 2, I visited my former 2nd Grade classroom, Reynolds 203, for the first time in about a decade. As I walked through the building and up the stairs, I felt nostalgic. The Lower School harbored my youth, fostered my imaginative intellect, and provided me with my closest friendships.

As I entered the room, I saw a little girl that I recognized and who recognized me. She ran to me, wrapped her arms around me, and squeezed as hard as she could. Emma (‘34) was one of my campers at Collegiate’s Summer Quest camps last summer. Very quickly, I became the center of a group hug consisting of several other children whom I remembered from camp.

After the children tackled me with affection, 2nd Grade teacher Beth Albrecht explained to them why I was there. 

Ten years ago, I sat at the same little desks and watched her talk with the same wandering, admiring eyes. When I was in 2nd Grade, it was Albrecht’s first year teaching at Collegiate. I remember not knowing who she was at first but quickly loving her presence. She is kind, patient, understanding, and has a remarkable aptitude for managing 19 children five days a week for nine whole months.

Sitting in Albrecht’s rocking chair. Photo credit: Beth Albrecht.

Once Albrecht finished introducing me, I moved to a rocking chair in the front of the room, and the children sat in an organized blob in front of me. As I sat in the rocking chair, part of my 2nd Grade mind ignited: I was sitting in the rocking chair that Albrecht read Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach to us from?! Admittedly, even as a Junior in high school, it was a cool moment.

The kids asked me questions about high school and what 2nd Grade was like for me. Albrecht chimed in about what had changed since I had sat among the circle of children. 

The first difference she mentioned was the most shocking to me; the teachers can no longer show PG-rated movies, only G. The significance of this new rule is that Albrecht cannot play the movie Matilda for her classes anymore. I don’t remember many parts of 2nd Grade vividly, but I remember how intrigued I felt watching the movie.

The second difference regards the 2nd Grade tradition of States Fair, when—through song, speech, art, dance, and hats—the students present what they have learned in their studies of the 50 states. Post-COVID-19, the fair was moved from its traditional February date to May. Because of the month switch, the kids don’t wear the highly fashionable white turtlenecks under their outfits anymore. When Albrecht mentioned the turtlenecks, one student asked, “What’s a turtleneck?” It was quite amusing.

One major difference Albrecht informed me of was the change in the drop-off and pick-up systems. In my 2nd Grade year, I went straight to a morning activity after drop-off. After school ended, I went directly out to carpool and waited on the sidewalk with my fellow Lower Schoolers until I saw my parent’s car. Nowadays during drop-off, the kids must wait in their cars or in a designated hallway until a certain time, and then they may go to their morning activities. When picked up, the kids have to wait in a room until their car number is called. Albrecht explained to me that the change was implemented because of concerns about children not being accounted for in the mornings and running into the road in the afternoon.

Lunchtime has also undergone some adjustments. Firstly, the kids eat in Centennial Hall, constructed in 2015, rather than Burke Hall, which is now used as a learning space. Secondly, lemonade is no longer served for Lower Schoolers in the cafeteria, because some children were refilling their cups with the highly sugary beverage a little too often.

The last change that Albrecht reminded me of was the Pep Rally location switch. When I was in 2nd Grade, the Pep Rally was held on the front lawn in front of the Middle School, whereas now it’s held in the Seal Athletic Center.

As I learned of each of these differences, some baffled me. I kept thinking, “Wow, the Lower School has become a much more cautious place.” 

Directing the conversation away from the theme of change, I asked the children what they loved about 2nd Grade and what they loved about Albrecht. Emma said, “she lets us do a lot of brain breaks and a lot of math, and sometimes like very fun stuff. She sometimes teaches lessons in fun ways.” Another student said, “she’s always very fun, and she lets Heidi come in.” Heidi Albrecht (‘24) is Albrecht’s youngest daughter, and according to the kids, whenever she visits they listen to Taylor Swift, do crafts, and play games.

I quickly discovered a theme that the students love math and spelling, greatly due to Albrecht’s skillful and deliberate teaching. When asked about what their favorite part of the day is with Albrecht, one student responded, “I love math! It’s my favorite subject!” I asked another student about what they liked about Albrecht’s teaching style, to which the student said, “She teaches part of stuff by part, and for spelling she teaches us part of spelling each week.” Albrecht is intentional with her instructional time and walks the kids through each subject at a pace at which they can comfortably learn. I asked a different student about what he has learned about himself in 2nd Grade. He complimented Albrecht, enthusiastically saying, “I used to be really bad at spelling, and now I’m great at it! I think it’s because of my sister and Mrs. Albrecht.” 

Albrecht is rightly praised for her impeccable teaching but perhaps should be most admired for her sheer, unending, unequivocal compassion and patience. In the August before 2nd Grade, when I received my class list and saw an unfamiliar name as my homeroom teacher, I was nervous. What if I didn’t like her? What if she was mean? I preconceived before even meeting her that I would want to be in a different homeroom. However, after the first week of school, I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I thought she was one of the best teachers I had ever had: beautiful, sweet, and calm in her tone. 

Ten years of teaching later, my cousin Jacob (‘34) is in her class, and he shares my view of her character, confidently and quite cutely stating, “she’s kind and loving and… she cares about others.” Albrecht’s students are learning from her example and Albrecht, through every smile and spelling lesson, is achieving her goal of teaching good character. One of the reasons Albrecht ended up at Collegiate in the first place was because, “I love that the number one thing here is that we focus on being a good person.” Albrecht also appreciates the flexibility she is afforded in her classroom: “We could take time out of our day to pivot. We’re like… a small fighter boat in the water, and we could just change and do what’s best for kids.”

At the end of my time in the classroom, I asked Albrecht what her favorite part about teaching 2nd Graders is. She responded, “2nd Grade is the best cause they start to have their own things that they love. Like [in Kindergarten] and [1st Grade], they love what their parents love, and 2nd Grade is when the tide starts to turn where they become their own little person… Their personalities start to bloom.” Albrecht mentioned how she loves being at Collegiate to “see all of those things I saw in you guys when you were little and see it all come to fruition.”

Albrecht (front row right) with her current class on States Fair day. Photo credit: Beth Albrecht.

Albrecht really does keep up with her former students. She greets me with a wave, a smile, or a hug whenever I see her. She cheers for me whenever she sees me running with the cross country or track teams. She sends me an email congratulating me on any major accomplishment. Since I was half her height to now, when I am eye-level with her, she has continued to not only remember my name, but to care.