By Koren Temple Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – It’s 10:59am and the graduates of Rosie’s Busy Bees school line up in the hallway of the New Hope Community church. Miss Rosie adjusts their white tasseled caps and ushers them to the church aisle, where eager parents await with cameras at hand.
As the traditional graduation tune plays, the 12 knee-high graduates march excitedly down a dim walkway, ready to begin a new journey into kindergarten. But for Rosie Kinoshita, the ceremony marks the end of a 32-year teaching career.
“I have mixed feelings. I have really, truly enjoyed teaching,” the 59-year old teacher said Saturday.
Though the Saturday graduation also commemorated Kinoshita’s retirement, the class made sure to entertain the crowd with a spectacle of musical and poetic numbers.
“We’ve listened and learned … we’re glad you’re here to help celebrate our last preschool year,” said 5-year old Amber Platt, who welcomed the more than 60 attendees.
Five-year old Anthony Ramos said the best part of the ceremony was performing his solo poem, “Things I’ve Learned” because it was his first time on stage.
Even though Ramos said he was excited for kindergarten, he admitted, biting into a large chocolate cookie, “I’m going to miss Rosie because she does nice things and I will miss the toys.”
Kinoshita recognized each student’s special talents by handing out multiple awards.
“Rosie is just such a special teacher, and I liked that she focused on involving every child, teaching them to be nice and caring,” said Debbie Gjerde, mother of 5-year-old graduate Eric.
“I’m so happy for her, that she could take some time for herself. But we’ll miss her a lot,” said Debbie Gjerde.
But Gjerde isn’t the only one with memories at Rosie’s Busy Bees.
Christie Pitts, now a 20-year-old senior at San Jose State University, was a former student at the event.
“I remember her as being very patient and she really emphasized everyone getting along. I loved to cook and play follow-the-leader,” said Pitts, adjusting a myriad of balloons for her graduating nephew.
Pitts was among a dozen former students at the event, and is among many who still keep in touch with her.
“For three weekends in a row, I’ve gone to weddings for students I had in the past. Many of them have gone off to college, or have gotten married or started working. So I guess that really makes me old,” said Kinoshita, who opened her in-home school in 1974.
Starting off in special childhood education, then moving to 3rd grade education, Kinoshita said her passion was always with preschoolers.
“The reason I got into is because I wanted to be the right teacher for my own children. I already had a lot of units in early childhood education and so I decided to just finish my degree,” she said.
Now into her first week of retirement, Kinoshita plans on helping her daughter set up her own school, which will open in September.
Although Kinoshita will have more time for her favorite past time, scrapbooking, and will finally have her home to herself, she will always compare her kids to flowers that are in bloom.
“Children will always be my heart,” she said. “Flowers that will always, partly belong to me.”
