Saratoga, California Since
1955
Education
(Photograph by George Sakkestad) Longtime area preschool teacher C.J. Rogers will leave her job as the supervisor of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation's Tot World/Small World Preschool after the current school year. Mrs. Rogers is leaving our neighborhood Popular preschool teacher resigns, moving to Arizona (By Rebecca Ray) People from Los Gatos, Saratoga and nearby communities will soon bid farewell to a local preschool teacher known for developing a preschool program and giving children endless hugs. C.J. Rogers, supervisor of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation's Tot World/Small World Preschool, will retire after June 11. "She's just an excellent teacher," said Los Gatos parent Cathy Olkin. Rogers teaches the Small World class, which is for children who are roughly between the ages of 4 and 51/2. Although Rogers runs the program out of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Saratoga, and there are other preschools closer to the Olkins, Olkin says that driving her 4-year-old son, Jake, to the rec department preschool is worth it. "She's so good at understanding each of the kids' personalities and helping them get along in the classroom," Olkin said. Even if the children are shy or don't speak English well, they feel comfortable enough to communicate in Rogers' class, she says. Rogers, whom the children call "Miss C. J.," is also "loving, yet firm, which is just what you need in a classroom," Olkin added. Rogers, who played a major role in keeping the rec department's preschool program afloat in 1997, will move from Los Gatos to Tucson, Ariz., where she hopes to start a preschool with a similar program. She says that she, her husband, Ken, and son, Colin, 9, are relocating to Tucson because of the slower lifestyle. However, Rogers says, she will miss her students and their families. And they will miss her. Parent Lori Berry says that Rogers gives each child special attention. This is especially important to Berry, whose 4-year-old son, Griffin, is speech-delayed and has learning disabilities. Rogers uses a lot of visual cues when teaching Griffin, whom Barry describes as a "visual learner," and often pairs him with verbal children to improve his verbal skills. When children arrive at Rogers' classroom, she greets them with hugs and kisses and asks how they are. Kim Battisti, mother of 5-year-old Lauren, says that Rogers treats their children like a "visiting grandparent." Rogers has the "hardest job in the world" in that she teaches an age group that is both "testy" and "joyful," Battisti says. However, Rogers approaches the job "with love and humor" and never seems to get tired, according to Battisti. Rogers isn't putting on a show for parents, either, Battisti insists. Battisti, who is also Rogers' hairdresser, says that when she has talked to Rogers on the phone as late as 9:30 p.m. about raising children, she didn't feel like she was intruding. In the early 1990s, when the rec department preschool program operated out of United Methodist Church on Main Street in Los Gatos, across the street from rec department headquarters, Rogers assisted a rec department teacher who taught an exercise class for younger children. One day, unbeknownst to Rogers, rec department supervisor Cindy McCarthy watched her work with the children. McCarthy then approached Rogers and asked if she would like to supervise the preschool. Rogers, who had been trying without success to find a job as a preschool teacher, said yes. The catch was that the rec department's lease with United Methodist Church ended in summer 1997. Since the church planned to start its own preschool program, the rec department needed to find a new location for its preschool. Rogers didn't want the rec department's program to disappear. So she drove from church to church in 102-degree weather in search of a new place. She had no success in finding one until she stopped at Immanuel Lutheran Church. After the preschool program moved there in September 1997, the rec department extended the program from three days to five days each week. The department also built a playground and extended the length of the Tot World and Small World programs from half days to full days. Rogers, who used to operate a daycare center out of her home, developed her own model of the preschool program. Students engage in arts and crafts, perform song and dance routines to music, listen to stories and learn how to write from the beginning. The program is designed to accommodate physically challenged and speech delayed children. The program also operates on a smaller scale than most other preschool programs, which, according to Rogers, have classes of at least 25 students. Tot World classes are capped at 12 children, while Small World classes are limited to 18 students. Lisa Rathjens, a volunteer mother in Rogers' classroom, says that the unstructured environment is appropriate for kids. Teri Fogarty, who teaches Tot World, will replace Rogers as the preschool program supervisor and the teacher of Small World. The rec department is searching for someone to teach the Tot World class. Fogarty knows she has big shoes to fill. "C.J. has a tremendous amount of love and patience for these kids, and I only hope I can follow in her same style." Current and former students and their families will hold a farewell celebration for Rogers on June 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oak Meadow Park, in group area No. 5. |
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