Our Mission
The mission of The Little School is to keep alive each child’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, to support balanced social and academic skill development, and to foster community minded, compassionate and intrinsically motivated students.

Our Philosophy
Our work with children is based on understanding the science of human development and the art of teaching. The school was founded in 1959 by Dr. Eleanor Siegl and a group of educators who wanted to create a place where children could unfold their hands, open their minds and explore learning as active partners rather than passive receivers of knowledge. They wished to create a school which would help children acquire the personal strengths and thinking skills needed for a democracy. Our philosophy permeates all we do at The Little School and is the cornerstone of our exceptional approach.

Our Image of the Child
We see children as resourceful, self-motivated learners. Each child has a unique timetable for the unfolding of abilities. We know children become their best selves in an environment which is responsive to their interests and talents. Children’s inner and outer lives have a place in school. We accept children’s heartfelt desire to express their inner lives through meaningful activity including social connections, play and academic skills.

Our Mentors
We are not committed to any single theory of behavior or educational method. Instead, we blend the accumulated knowledge of the past with newer methods growing out of current research. The values of progressive education are important to us. Our philosophy is influenced by the works of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Vivian Paley, Elizabeth Jones, and Mel Levine to name a few. A bibliography is available.

The Role of Teachers
Teachers design the look and feel of the room, structure the day for the children, act as conflict mediators and wise guides, create materials and curriculum, write reports and conference with parents. Children call their teachers by first names to encourage a less formal relationship where the child sees the teacher as an ally rather than a judge.

Why Our Teachers Use a Variety of Teaching Techniques
We have found that as teachers become more experienced they develop their own styles, becoming less alike rather than more alike. We respect teachers as creative, intellectually engaged members of the school culture. Imaginative teachers constantly search for better ways to give body and meaning to information in order to nurture and preserve the innate interest and enthusiasm which all children share. While all teachers embrace a developmental approach, this may look somewhat different in each room. This can present parents with new learning and adaptation each year. Since this learning mirrors the process their children experience in the classrooms, we find it a worthwhile activity for all.

How Classrooms Look
We acknowledge learning is based in social interaction, so our rooms and class sizes are small. We encourage children’s natural inclination to learn through and with peers. Teamwork is encouraged. The room environments are similar so that children moving up to a new class find a familiar array of choices. This allows them to progress at a consistent rate.

How We Create Curriculum
Contrary to the popular idea that curriculum can be boiled down to a few skills that are taught repeatedly, we see curriculum as a rich and vibrant process which can best be described as an interweaving of the teacher’s goals with the child’s drives and interests. Whenever possible, learning is structured as a discovery process in which children are active rather than passive. Each year, the teacher and children working together create a unique culture in the classroom. Teachers plan for every child and the entire group with this in mind.

For younger children, teachers merge subject areas into daily activities for a seamless experience of the world which matches their experience of life. Children interested in butterflies may act out the life cycle in movement, theorize together about what goes on inside the cocoon, and write a poem together. In this way, the skills of representing ideas through reading and writing are embedded in exploring the world, not isolated in separate skill sets which have little meaning for young children.

As children get older, they are better able to practice academic skills, which they know will be valuable in life. Although curriculum can be separated into separate subject areas such as math and social studies, whenever possible academic skills are integrated into larger themes. The journey of Lewis and Clark becomes the vehicle for integrated curriculum with 8 to 9 year olds. Publishing a school newspaper refines many skill areas for 10 to 12 year olds.

The research of Jean Piaget shows that telling is not teaching. Learning occurs when children integrate new information into previous mental constructs. They gain not only more information but also depth and breadth of knowledge. We embrace the more complex task of teaching at the deeper level of concept building, which is crucial in math and science. This is known as Constructivism.

Why We Value Play
While some view play as mere recreation and nothing more, we understand that play is an energetic, self-motivated form of learning used by all human beings throughout life. At each age, children’s play has a central place in their social, emotional and cognitive learning. Rather than relegate it to recess, we draw on its strengths within our program.
Why the Outdoor Spaces Are an Integral Part of Children’s Learning
Thanks to a generous gift of land 40 years ago, we are fortunate to have an unusually rich natural environment. As children’s lives become more indoor centered, we believe they have a right to the outdoor world not as recess from academic pressures but as an integral part of their day. Teachers take advantage of opportunities to build curriculum around nature study. The garden, maintained with generous parent support, provides a connection to growing food. Self-directed outdoor recreation has been shown to enhance brain development so time for imaginative play is built into the daily schedule.

How the Meadows and Woods Buildings are Alike and Different
Rather than describing our classes by grade level, such as second or third grade, we describe ours by the age of children, such as the 3′s room or the 7 and 8′s room. This is a daily reminder that our expectations of children at every age grow out of understanding the characteristics of their age and developmental stage. Teachers in the Meadows building make use of the wealth of information from the field of Early Childhood. We structure experiences for children 3 through 6 to support the important task of developing a strong sense of themselves as capable and confident. When they become confident in their own initiative (knowing you can have good ideas and carry them out), they have the best foundation for academic study.

Between the ages of 6 and 12, Woods children experience a new phase of development in which they understand the importance of practicing academic skills for the sake of a future benefit. Teachers structure the program to lead students into increasingly complex understanding of themselves and their place in society. In both buildings, we emphasize the intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards of learning.

How Children are Challenged
The level of challenge that invites or discourages participation is highly individual. Classrooms provide many open-ended materials which children can take to the next level. Mixed-age classes challenge children through interactions with a variety of peers at different stages. Teachers provide challenges through new materials, and by posing thought provoking problems.

Success is important since it is the basis of self-confidence from which new efforts are launched. Unhampered by the fear of failure, children achieve their full potential with the capacity for realistic self-appraisal.

How We Work with Children’s Behavior
Living in a community requires constant negotiation of group and individual needs. We view social and emotional learning as integral to the healthy child not a distraction from more important subjects. Learning to resolve conflicts requires that there be some to resolve. These inevitable conflicts provide necessary learning opportunities. We help children adopt positive behaviors through modeling, developing rules, coaching and other strategies. We believe autonomy is the aim of education and strive to help children become capable of living and working together without becoming blind conformists.

How We Assess Children’s Progress
Our understanding of each child’s progress is based on observation of all aspects of the day. This begins during the home visit and continues throughout the year. Written reports focus on social, emotional, cognitive and physical aspects. Children’s accomplishments are considered in light of developmental milestones from professional literature and our own research documented in the Continua created by the faculty. Because we know children of the same age are not necessarily at the same stage of development, our program allows children to develop at different rates. If a child shows delays compared with the typical range, parents are informed and appropriate interventions are created.

How We Decide Placement for the Next Year
In the spring, teachers who know each child well meet in teams to configure class groups for the following year. We consider many factors that reflect the needs of individual children as well as class groups and the school. Because of our responsibility to consider the larger picture, it is not possible for parents to select a teacher; however, parents are welcome to offer thoughts on their child’s needs.

How Parents are Challenged
Many adults remember their own schooling with mixed feelings. While hoping their children have more positive experiences, they may not have models from their own past for how this might be accomplished. For this reason, we ask parents to read school and classroom newsletters as well as attend parent meetings to learn more about our methods so they can best support their child. Since child development is the basis for our work, parents are asked to become familiar with the unique strengths and difficulties which each age presents. This makes parenting more effective and more rewarding. It also helps parents understand the variety of classroom experiences through their years at the school. We provide a number of groups, events and resources for parents throughout the year.

The Needs of Children
At The Little School we find the needs of all children to be similar. These include the need …

• to feel positive about yourself,
• to find friends,
• to have your home culture reflected in the classroom,
• to have teachers who are allies who know and guide you well,
• to see your own good ideas carried out,
• to learn through tasks with intrinsic value rather than being goaded by external rewards,
• to experience challenges matched to your developmental timetable,
• to explore the world with a sense of wonder and growing mastery,
• to look forward to a lifetime of learning with enthusiasm,
• to feel some ownership over your environment and
• to experience the natural world on a daily basis.