Between the two of us, Debra Jackson and Robbin Vonder Bruegge, we have a total of 37 years of teaching experience. We are both National Board Certified Teachers, Robbin as an Early Childhood Generalist and Debra as a Middle Childhood Generalist. Of the 37 years of experience, we have a total of 26 years teaching in the first and second grades.

We teach in a small coastal town, Long Beach, in southern Mississippi. Long Beach is about 60 miles east of New Orleans, LA and 60 miles west of Mobile, AL. Our town has been described as a bedroom community, because most of our parents do not work within the city limits. Due to the proximity of the Seabee base in Gulfport and Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, we have a high population of military families. Some of our students' parents are employees at Stennis Space Center. Many of our families are employees of the casinos populating the coastal region.

Our school, Thomas L. Reeves Elementary, is one of three elementary schools in the Long Beach School District. The district also has one middle school and one high school. Long Beach School District is a high-achieving school district and many parents choose to live in Long Beach so they can send their children to our schools. Reeves Elementary has kindergarten through fifth grades, with an average of four sections for each grade. Our students have Physical Education, Music, and Library time one to two times a week. Students in grades 2-5 receive approximately 60 minutes of Spanish instruction each month. Special resources for students are provided in areas of special needs and gifted education. Our school has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence through the United States Department of Education.

Our first/second grade multi-age class is the first and only one in the district. It began in the 2002-2003 school year. The purpose of the multiage classroom is to provide an environment for first and second graders to progress at their own abilities while encouraging a love of learning. We want our students to feel confident to try new things as well as to recognize their own responsibility to their learning.

We have twenty to twenty-five students in each grade level. This gives us approximately 40 - 50 students for the combination of the two grades. These students are a heterogeneous group in ability levels. Two certified teachers and two non-certified teacher assistants work in the room full time. Identified students are pulled out for additional speech therapy with the speech therapist. A special education resource teacher provides services to students with identified learning disabilities. Gifted students leave the classroom once a week to receive enrichment in another classroom setting. Students in the multiage classroom are taught at their ability levels, not their grade levels.

Parental participation in the classroom is high. Parents and grandparents come into the class on a regular basis to work with our students in their centers. Some parents develop lessons to complete during our Fabulous Fantastic Fridays. The success of this class is largely due to the support of our administration, our parents and our students.

Prior to the start of school, we hold an orientation session to explain the philosophy and structure of the multi-age class. This helps prospective parents make an informed decision about placing their child in the multiage classroom. First grade parents are given the option of continuing in the multiage classroom or changing to a single-grade classroom setting for the second grade experience. Allowing parents to be a part of the decision making process plays a strong role in the support and success of our program.