Rich learning experiences through free play (in the Adventure Primes)
Free play is incredibly important for child growth and development. When we say that play is how children learn, we don't mean it to be cute or philosophical-- we recognize that this is scientifically true. Play is the engine that drives social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development in children.
8th Grade Humanities
In 8th grade Humanities class, we are doing an interdisciplinary study of immigration and immigrant experiences in the US. We just finished reading American Born Chinese, a graphic novel by Gene Yang that explores themes of assimilation, identity and belonging. Accompanying our reading we have been exploring history relating to Chinese immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. This exploration led us to learn more about Angel Island, the first stop for immigrants coming to the US from Asia and Oceana.
What’s in a name? - Uppers 6/7
The 6/7th grade humanities class has been unpacking important people and ideas highlighted in the beginning of One Crazy Summer, by RIta Williams-Garcia. The author titled the first chapter, “Cassius Clay Clouds”, using simile and allusion to describe the turbulence experienced by the main character on her plane ride. This gave us an opportunity to learn more about Muhammad Ali's (f.k.a Cassius Clay) impactful childhood, boxing career, and imprisonment. We watched footage of Ali speaking during a television interview, “See we don’t have our names, I notice how proud you all are, proud of your names.”
The Power of Choice in the Mups
The other day during Choice, I watched a small group of Mups huddled around the sign-up chart. One child sighed when they realized their first pick was already full. Another leaned over and said, “You can do collage with me.” A few minutes later, those same children were side by side, snipping paper and comparing colors, their disappointment already transformed into something new. Moments like this happen daily during Choice: small but profound rehearsals of flexibility, empathy, and resilience.
Building Community Through Wonder: The Woods Primes’ Wasp Nests
During the first few weeks of school, the Woods Primes made an exciting discovery at their basecamp—an active wasp nest! Teachers quickly marked off a safe boundary, allowing students to observe the nest from a respectful distance. Over the following days, the children watched closely and asked many thoughtful questions.
Self Portraits in Middles Quartz
Drawing a self portrait can be a daunting task, especially for people who have never been close with a sketchpad. I am not someone who draws and the idea of a pencil and paper self portrait doesn’t settle well with me. I know it’s a good practice to make yearly self-portraits, especially during childhood and adolescence. It’s important for children to take the time to notice who they are becoming, to study the crevices, curves, and angles that connect to create them.
Play in the Power Primes
In 1932, sociologist and researcher Mildren Parten published a landmark study detailing the ways in which children participate and behave both individually and in groups. These observations led her to distinguish six different types of social participation, or play: Unoccupied behavior, onlooker, solitary independent play, parallel activity, associative play, and cooperative play. In each of these stages, children develop and practice the necessary skills to support a future of problem solving, collaboration, creativity and social-emotional growth.
Community Building with Trash - Uppers
Community is such a large part of what makes the Center School a special place. We gather every Friday, there is play between grades, there are caregiver nights. In the Uppers, we love to lay that community foundation from the start of the school year. We build in time to all come together for group games, group skits about our Norms and expectations for the year, and group community work.
Quickwrites in the Middles
In the Middles, we begin each writing class with something called a quickwrite. Quickwrites are short, timed, low-stakes writing activities that promote thinking, writing fluency, and confidence by having students respond to a text, image, or prompt. They provide an opportunity to write without the pressure of planning or revision, helping students discover their writing voice and practice the physical act of putting a pencil to paper.
Consistency, Care, and Curiosity in the Wonder Primes
The beginning of the year for the Wonder Primes classroom is a time filled with important firsts. For many of our students, it is the first time they have been in a group care setting before; it is the first time families have left their young children, and it is the first time (for most of the students) that they are meeting their teachers and peers.
A Week of Play in Uppers Math
Over this summer, I was perusing a bookstore in Brattleboro. I have more fiction books than I have time to read, so I decided to take a look at the nonfiction section and see if anything spoke to me about the math and science I would be teaching this year. As soon as I picked up Ben Orlin’s book, I knew I had found my winner. His book is titled Math with Bad Drawings: Illuminating the Ideas that Shape Our Reality.
On (Mis)communication with the Adventure Primes
Take a look at this photo. If you did not know the context of the game this child was playing, what might you assume? How would you feel?
It might seem aggressive or intimidating. You might think, "this person is pretending to shoot at me." You might feel scared and tell a teacher. You might feel the need to strike out to defend yourself.
Uppers in the World: Learning, Giving, and Growing Together
For the past two years, our Uppers students (grades 6–8) have taken part in a special Community Service elective right here on campus. They’ve helped with all kinds of tasks — you might spot an Upper helping preschoolers gently wake up from naps, reading favorite books, or offering snacks. Others join the Mups (2nd and 3rd graders) during choice time, playing lively games like Apples to Apples. Some students collect cardboard from recycling bins, assist teachers and staff, or even vacuum spots that need extra care.
Connecting Through the Years
One of the founding principles of the Center School is the power of connection. When students feel seen, safe, and valued, incredible things can happen. They take risks, build meaningful relationships, and grow in ways we might not expect. At the Center School, we believe that connection is at the heart of deep, lasting learning.
To explore how this sense of connection has shaped the Center School over its 43-year history, we turned to some of the people who know it best. Center School alum, current parent of a Mup (2nd/3rd grade), and New York Times producer Sara Curtis interviewed two key voices from our community: Ruth Charney and Josie Dulles. Ruth, one of the Center School’s founders, taught here for more than 20 years. Josie, the current 8th-grade homeroom teacher, has been part of the school community for 11 years.
Literacy in the Adventure Primes
Many children in the Adventure Primes have been creating their own books in recent weeks. After spending time observing two frogs found by Uppers teacher Vanessa, two children were inspired to write fictional stories about frogs. One student created a comic book based on the movie Jaws and another created a story about a monster truck doing tricks.
Uppers on the Farm!
The Uppers returned to Red Gate Farm last week for a few rousing, albeit rainy days of fun. Having gone many times now, we, both the students and the teachers, had a deeper and quicker uptake at the farm.
Hosting a caterpillar to butterfly transformation in the Power Primes
Each year in the Power Primes we host a caterpillar to butterfly transformation. As a class we dig in the whole process together. We read books, have discussions, and practice observing with patience and care. We set up a special space in our classroom for the transformation to take place. There the Power Primes can gather and draw pictures of the different stages. This is a great opportunity for the Power Primes to try and draw something from observation.
Rivers, Rocks, Dinosaurs, and Deep Geological Time With the Middles
Did you know that we live in an important place for geologists? The Connecticut River Valley is known for its basalt flows, mountain ranges, dinosaur footprints, and fertile soils.
On Campus, Off Hours
This weekend, I had the opportunity to spend time on campus for two very different events. The first being the Uppers dance on Friday night, and the second being Grounds Day on Sunday. Although dramatically different, both events speak volumes about the community here on campus. Additionally, these events were only successful because of the tremendous amount of work done by all the family volunteers.
Connecting With Our Community - Uppers
The Uppers have been working with people outside of our school community to teach, learn, and grow. There have been several opportunities for our students to leave an impact on the world around them, and we are excited to share them with you. Although we have had a very successful Community Service elective for the past two years, this trimester felt like a good time to branch out beyond our school community.