Back to Questions Parents Ask.
Parents are concerned that their child get a good education in math and science. Does math strike more directly toward the intellect, and require different teaching methods?
Barbara: The short answer is no. In math, we do a great deal of hands-on learning, using special learning materials and games. Math is the first hour of the day, after Circle Time, and it’s never simply paper and pencil work. It’s always much more lively, and the children build the same confidence through experimenting and learning with the math materials as they do in other courses.
Because we’re small, we’re able to address the children’s needs in ways that would be more difficult in a larger setting. For example, I have three children in second grade who attend fourth-grade math. It wouldn’t be good for them to be with the fourth-graders all the time, because they’re second-graders in every other respect, but mathematically they’re doing fine in fourth grade. And because we’re small, we’re able to adjust each child’s situation to their abilities, and accommodate the diversity in ability.
Helen: It’s a great strength of the school that we can individualize instruction. It would be much harder with a class of 25-35 students. It’s a question parents often ask — how do you meet the needs of children who are academically different? In math especially, if a child has a talent, they can go as far and fast as they want in our school, as long as they show mastery. But we can still keep them with their social group.
