Silver Firs Elementary has been committed to an education method called looping for a dozen years. Looping, which means students have the same teacher for multiple years, is used at Silver Firs during the fourth- and fifth-grades.

According to the teachers, there are many benefits of this system.

“I think the looping benefits are academic and social,” said Patty Gauksheim, principal at Silver Firs.

She said the classes become more like families during their two years together.

“That long-term relationship is very supportive,” Gauksheim said.

It also allows teachers more time to do what they do best — educate.

Fifth-grade teacher Mary Phlypo said she saves time during the start of the fifth-grade year because her students are already familiar with her rules and style of teaching.

“They feel so confident in how the classroom runs and what to expect,” Phlypo said.

The consistency and flow from year to year is a benefit, she said. She knows what the students have learned in the previous year, and she can draw upon those experiences to strengthen current lessons, she said.

Fourth-grade teacher Kathy Hanlon agreed.

“You know what you’ve taught and what you need to teach,” she said.

Phlypo is currently in her 29th year of teaching, and this is her 12th year looping. She was part of the pilot program when looping was tested at Silver Firs, and the results then, and now, have always been very positive, Phlypo said.

Laura Gray’s fifth-grade son is in Dana Rehberg’s class, and she recognizes the benefits of the relationships formed between the teacher and the students and families.

“(Teachers) build a rapport with parents,” Gray said. “It’s become a real team.”

Because of these close relationships, students gain confidence, she said, which is important as the students enter middle school.

Hanlon said while looping has many benefits, but it can also be a challenge. When teachers alternate grades, it takes time to readjust to the different curriculum as it continually changes.

“It can be hard at times with lots of new curriculum coming in,” Phlypo said.

But the teachers enjoy the challenge, Phlypo and Hanlon agreed.

The teachers who loop work with the same team of teachers every year, so that support has been helpful, Hanlon said.

“It’s really a commitment on the teachers’ part, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks,” Gauksheim said.

And if, for some reason, a child needed or wanted to have a different placement during fifth-grade, that would be available, Phlypo said.

Looping has gained attention and popularity in recent years, especially around the Everett School District.

Although not all Everett schools have looping, many do, said district spokeswoman Gay Campbell.

“It also gives the teachers a wonderful view of the sequence of learning,” Campbell said.

And while it can be hard work for the teachers, the benefits, particularly through the relationships formed, always make it worthwhile, Phlypo said.

“Once you have the relationship developed, it’s a world of difference.”