News and Blog

Andrew K. is currently in the first grade at The New School. This year marks his third at the school.

Like many, I have an app on my phone that shows photos “on this day” from past years. Each day, I take a moment to reflect on these photos. It’s remarkable to me the depth of emotion a photo can evoke. As I look back, I also think about what photos I need to take on this day. What events do I want to capture? What emotions do I want to remember? This, in turn, prompts me to be more mindful of the present, the memories I am creating

"If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing." -Sir James Barrie (Peter Pan). Since singing is one of the most potentially dangerous activities in the time of COVID, music teachers around the world had to get very creative this year. Lucky for us, Mr. Troy, Ms. Ashley and Mr. Austin are about as creative as they come!

As someone who has spent a lifetime studying, reading, writing, and teaching history, I have long understood and valued the importance of words.  The way words are woven together to convey specific meaning, or to tell a story, or to evoke a certain emotion can be powerful.  In the field of education, certain words become part of the popular vernacular and inspire trends, techniques, and even fads in teaching methodology.  But some words have staying power.  Some words never go out of style.  One word that I find consistently has important meaning in all facets of education is “perseverance”.  

As I sit here writing this blog, I have been thinking about all the sweet and engaging things that are happening at the K-6 Division.  With the weather getting warmer, many of our lessons are starting to migrate back outside.  I have observed many lessons outside; reading lessons outside with students at an appropriate distance without masks engaging and enjoying reading under the sun, art class creating sun prints, math games with a total physical response activity, and students laying in the grass and writing persuasive essays on clipboards.

I have always worked with young children in my career. As an educator, we focus on the many ways we can impact and make a difference in the lives of the children we teach. We spend countless hours trying to make the perfect lesson plan that will engage each child. We focus on all the key areas of development, language, gross motor, fine motor, etc. We know the importance of the social-emotional well-being of each child. While all these things hold value, finding joy in the little moments is what always kept me going as a teacher when days got hard.