Sometimes I see online reviews for an item that someone just purchased, and has only experienced…read morefor 5 minutes, and I question how helpful that review really is. "I just got this roomba 2 hours ago and it is the BEST!" This is not one of those reviews.
I think it was almost 12 years ago, my daughter started at The Little School in 1st grade. She was a sensitive, talkative, curious young girl. She enjoyed art projects, and writing stories. She struggled a bit socially, sometimes feeling more at home with her thoughts and the trees than engaging in play. At the Little School the teachers there got to know her well, understanding her as a learner, and identifying her strengths and weaknesses. Her first teacher identified that while she may rarely be the first one to answer a question lobbed out to the group, he found that she was often the one taking the time to seek the deeper understanding. We loved that The Little School takes the time to recognize that attribute and celebrate it for what it is instead of penalizing her for not always being the first. While at The Little School until she outgrew after her 5th grade year, she practiced her social skills, made friends, and was supported by the educators there in learning communication skills and conflict resolution skills to navigate the inevitable challenges that accompany navigating school. After outgrowing she went on to a another local private school, and we were really pleased how prepared she was for Middle and High School there. Not only had she learned the important academic skills, but she also quickly made herself known in her classes because The Little School taught her that she has valuable ideas to share, and that her educators are expected to be her partners in her education. She was able to appropriately speak up in class, ask questions, and contribute to conversations. We believe that her formative years at TLS were vital to developing that confidence. She graduated high school recently near the top of her class and is now at a UC school as a freshman.
In case you are thinking that The Little School is only a good fit for loquacious, nature-loving girls, let me tell you about my son. He started at The Little School about 11 years ago in kindergarten. He was twitchy and restless, kind and caring, and loved playing pretend games with building toys. He had a super-quick mind, and could memorize facts and trivia easily. While at The Little School, until he outgrew after 5th grade, we love that they challenged him in the areas where he needed improvement, without getting overly distracted by his twitchiness. They made accommodations for his physical energy, recognizing that even though his eyes were darting around, he was listening carefully, could remember virtually everything said during the lesson, and could immediately apply it. They challenged him in his writing. Pushing him to get better at punctuation and grammar, and flesh out his ideas further. He did not always like it, but we watched as they encouraged him to try harder and expand on his writing. This summer he spent two-weeks at a science camp hosted on a university campus, learning about the microbiology of cancer, and in the fall he will start running-start at Bellevue College as a high school junior. He is looking forward to the challenge and the variety of classes that will be available to him. He is FAR less twitchy, gets along well with others, and remains friends to this day with people he met at TLS.
In case you are thinking that The Little School is only a good fit for sensitive, talkative, curious little girls, and twitchy, clever, gentle young boys, let me tell you about my other son (don't worry, this is the last one). He started at The Little School about 7 years ago in kindergarten. He was a typical little kid, played really well with others, loved playing competitive games outside, but also played imaginative games with stuffed "lovies" inside with boys and girls. As he grew and matured, the TLS educators, just like with my other two kids, learned about his strengths and weaknesses and encouraged him along the way. He had a severe lisp when younger, but the lovely thing about TLS is that they walk their talk when it comes to belonging, kindness, and community. I don't ever recall him coming home sad or upset because someone teased him about the way he talked. He was a confident, charismatic social leader by the time he outgrew at the end of 5th grade. Their outdoor education/physical education program there nursed his athletic abilities and as a 5th grader he was helping the TLS mountain beavers win ultimate frisbee games in the local league, as well as teaching his classmates about other sports which he played outside of school. He is now an 8th grader at our local public middle school, where he is in advanced math, loves social studies, and was invited into their selective programs for young mentors and leaders.
