Friday, October 16, 2026
For Kristen Roberts and Maria Nulty, an Oceanside connection began in childhood, took a yearslong detour and eventually led them back to the same school hallways — this time as kindergarten teachers, helping a new generation of students begin their own educational journeys.
Roberts and Nulty, both 39, grew up in Oceanside, attended Florence A. Smith School No. 2 and shared some of the same childhood experiences, including Girl Scouts, elementary school classes and a close-knit circle of friends. Today they teach kindergarten at School No. 6, with classrooms down the hall from each other.
Their story is one of friendship, familiarity and the sense of community they say has long defined Oceanside schools. After growing up together, losing touch and building separate lives, they got reacquainted through teaching.
“We didn't talk for so many years, but it was so easy to just go back,” Roberts said. “It's like you just picked right up.”
The two grew up in the same neighborhood, and got to know each other in Daisy Troop 2049. Although they weren’t in the same kindergarten class and weren’t childhood best friends, their families grew close, and the girls shared troop meetings and other activities. They later found themselves in the same third- and fifth-grade classes.
Both went on to earn Girl Scout Silver Awards, with Nulty receiving hers in middle school and Roberts in high school.
After they graduated from high school, however, their paths diverged. They went through college and began their careers without staying in close contact.
Roberts studied at Towson University, earning a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in 2009 before completing a master's in early childhood special education at Adelphi University. She also extended her certification to elementary education and special education.
Nulty began her undergraduate studies at Iona University before transferring to Hofstra University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in speech language pathology and a minor in psychology. She earned a master's in childhood education and special education at C.W. Post. During her undergraduate years, she initially considered speech-language pathology as her future career before realizing that teaching was the right fit.
It wasn’t until the two women returned to the school district as educators that their childhood connection took on a new meaning. Roberts joined School No. 6 in 2012, followed by Nulty in 2013. When Nulty was setting up her classroom, Roberts stopped by to say hello. A simple reunion gradually grew into a renewed friendship and a professional partnership.
For Nulty, working alongside someone who remembers her childhood is about more than sharing lesson plans. “We have trust and can come to one another with ideas and problems,” she said. “Little things like that brought us back together and truly make our bond stronger.”
That trust has become an important part of their work. The two teachers regularly exchange ideas, troubleshoot classroom challenges and turn to each other for advice. Though they have similar teaching philosophies, they also recognize that their different personalities help them learn from one another.
“I’ll go to her for advice when it comes to almost anything and everything,” Roberts said. “We have different personality types, but I really think that works to our advantage as friends. It’s something that gives us a different perspective in different situations.”
That trust extends beyond the two of them. They found their footing at School No. 6 with help from longtime kindergarten teachers Rhona Kahn and Elaine Eckers, who took newer educators under their wings before they retired. The group shared lunches, discussed lesson plans and exchanged ideas, helping Roberts and Nulty develop relationships with colleagues that continue today.
The friendships have grown outside the classroom as well. A group of teachers gathers for an end-of-year barbecue as well as during the summer. Their children have become friends as well.
For Roberts and Nulty, those relationships reflect what makes School No. 6 feel different from a workplace where teachers simply arrive, teach and leave. “You want to come to work when you care about the people that are there,” Roberts said.
Roberts, whose son is now a fifth-grader at School No. 2, said she wondered whether the sense of belonging she remembered from childhood would still be there when her son started school. Walking through the doors reassured her that it had not changed.
“Everyone that grows up here doesn't want to leave, but that's a good thing here,” Nulty said.
Now, as kindergarten teachers, they try to recreate that welcoming environment for students who are experiencing a full school day, making friends and learning classroom routines for the first time.
Kindergarten, however, has changed since they were students. “Lessons that once belonged in first grade, like early reading skills, are now introduced here, and the school day is longer for them, too,” Roberts said.
But both educators said the importance of making learning engaging and memorable remains the same. “We are some of these kids’ first school experience,” Roberts said. “We want them to love learning and have such a positive time when it comes to school.”
Through responsive classroom morning meetings, students greet each other, participate in activities and practice listening and sharing. “A routine like that helps them learn their classmates’ names, build friendships and become more comfortable in their environment,” Nulty said.
The goal isn’t simply to teach children to read and write, but also to help them develop confidence, kindness and a love of learning.
“I always joke, if I teach you nothing, you need to be kind,” Nulty said. “Just leave this classroom and be a good person.”
The same emphasis on connection has inspired Nulty to establish a Fun Committee at School No. 6. Created about two years ago, the committee organizes seasonal activities, including Halloween's You've Been Booed, Valentine's Day surprises and Secret Santa exchanges. This year it is also planning monthly faculty breakfasts to recognize staff members and bring colleagues together.
“It’s such a big building, and we wanted to include those who work on different floors to form relationships with one another,” Nulty said. “We wanted to make sure everyone felt included.”
For the two teachers, the effort reflects the same sense of belonging they experienced growing up in Oceanside. They believe that when educators feel supported, they are better equipped to support their students.
Their careers have given them more than a shared workplace. They have rediscovered a connection to their hometown, their childhood memories and each other. And while neither could have known as a kindergartner what the future would hold, both now have a front-row seat to the next generation of Oceanside children beginning the same journey they once did.
