Education
Last week, as I watched young and older students work together planting trees on the Crocker Conservancy, one of the many reasons that I came to Powhatan was highlighted once again for me – we are a Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school. The learning opportunities when elementary and middle school students attend classes together on the same campus are many and invaluable. These benefits span all age ranges and provide students with the opportunity to gain important lifelong learning skills. Older students gain confidence and build self-esteem by helping and teaching younger students. Younger students see older students being positive role models and then they aspire to be helpful and kind when they get older. Peer to peer learning enables the students who teach a skill to solidify their understanding of it while the student being taught is less fearful to make a mistake or take a risk to try something new. The “one room school house” setting comes alive, creating a “family feeling” type of learning experience. And at Powhatan, all that happens under the watchful eyes of teachers who are themselves modeling collaboration and getting the opportunity to work with children beyond their own classroom wall and grade level. Read more: http://powhatanschool.org/pulse/head-of-school-message/april-letter-uniqueness-pk-8-school-pulse-podcast/