Katie May Smith Foundations of Education Rebecca Werner March,

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Katie may SmithFoundations of EducationRebecca Werner March, 2009

The New School

Our New School begins on the foundation that every single student has the right and thecapacity to learn, and that everyone has something to teach. For this reason we believe in theintegrated classroom. Further, we believe that education should be oriented toward the learningand innovating skills that will enable our students to compete and succeed in today’s world.Students here are not only taught knowledge, but they are guided in the pursuit of knowledge andare encouraged to question that knowledge, and to interpret what they learn so that it is personally relevant.Students are separated by grade, however, once a week, each class meets with the class agrade below them to mentor them, and as follows, they also receive mentoring from their upper class once a week. We believe that this allows for learning opportunities that would otherwise not present themselves. The teachable moments that arise from these encounters are innumerable.Students are challenged when meeting with their upper grade class, and they meet thesechallenges more enthusiastically than they would in facing them alone. Students meeting withtheir lower grade class have an opportunity to reinforce the lessons they have learned byexplaining them in ways that younger students can understand. It also gives these students anopportunity to witness their own progress first hand, and identify areas where they needimprovement.

In this model, students have a very large hand in their own learning. Working with andhelping children younger than themselves does wonders for students’ self-esteem, and knowingthat they are a mentor and role-model for another is also incredibly beneficial. It keeps thestudents more socially aware, and leads them to make better choices as an example for their lower grade classmates.Students here are held to their personal best, rather than some blanket standard. Wechallenge students to produce higher and higher quality work as they progress through their education, and we have staff on hand to give extra attention to students whose personalachievement levels are a little too far behind their classmates.Our educational model is based on covering the core subjects, reading, writing andmathematics, while allowing students a considerable amount of freedom to pursue subjects thatinterest them. For example, writing is a core subject, and we stress the ability to writeacademically as well as creatively. Each week, students produce an essay, the expected lengthand quality of which varies by grade, but also by the individual student. Often students maychoose a subject for the weeks essay, dinosaurs, pilots, or politicians, whatever strikes their fancy. However students must alternate the format of their weekly essays, writing a creative piece one week and an academic piece the next.Another benefit to our integrated classroom model is that the bonds our students formwith their mentors go beyond our four walls. We have open library hours after school, and moreoften than not, students turn to their mentor for tutoring and help on a project. It is not unusual tosee as many as ten pair of mentor/mentees in here studying together after school. We have found

this peer tutoring to be particularly helpful, and have even noticed it transferring into physicalactivities. Mentors tend to look out for their students on the playground, and encourage oneanother in sporting events. Needless to say, we wholeheartedly encourage this.Another development in our school here is the student assisted cafeteria program.Students have an opportunity every six months to sign up for the Lunch Board. Here, studentslearn about proper nutrition, and work with a specialist to develop a menu for the cafeteria thatmeets our nutritional requirements. This program has been far more successful than we mighthave hoped. We believe that students should be involved in the structure and decisions abouttheir learning environment. We view this as our school, collectively, and so we all run it,collectively. Students enjoy the autonomy that we allow them in this aspect, and further, studentswho have served on the Lunch Board show a tendency toward better dietary habits afterward.Recently, our Lunch Board has pitched the idea of a student greenhouse, where students cangrow vegetables that can then be served in the cafeteria. They are currently working onfundraising ideas to finance this.Lastly, we have a community outreach program. Students are expected to complete tenhours of community service per school year; though many complete more than that. We haveestablished programs with the local nursing homes, preschools and the Humane Society, and for older students, with the recycling center. However, students are free to develop their owncommunity service projects, which they may submit for approval to a student council board,which is overseen by at least two teacher volunteers every year.

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