Passion

At the Lowell Whiteman Primary School, we strive to inspire in each child a passion for learning. This is the first line of our mission statement, and it has informed the structure of the school, its architecture, the people who spend their days here working and learning, and the purposeful interpersonal relationships that take place within and around the school. One of the very special things about LWPS, and one which is key to inspiring that passion for learning, is the fact that we have subject specialists teaching the children in all grades. This is an unusual model for a primary school, but one that embodies our belief that compassionate and intelligent people with a love for a subject are best able to arouse that passion in children.

The faculty, who are members of Colorado and/or national organizations of educators in their fields, have spent time researching best practices, observing other independent school teachers, reading professional literature, and continuing their own learning in those fields. They are driven by the deep thinking that takes place in their classes, and they bolster that with hands-on activities, thoughtful questioning, and a broad range of activities. When students enter the classroom of one of our subject specialists, they are immersed in the content area as the commitment and enthusiasm of the teacher serves to encourage the children to take intellectual risks and find the joy in discovery. Outside of the classroom and behind the scenes, the depth of knowledge that each of our teachers brings to the table allows for authentic collaboration as faculty develop theme-based interdisciplinary learning experiences for the students.

Walking through the halls of LWPS, I find myself listening to the interplay between faculty and students and dropping in to see what’s behind the engaged (and engaging) buzz. As I enter a Chinook science class, students call out to me to take a look at the spleen in their fetal pig dissection. Entering a Navajo math class, I am unnoticed by the students as they are completely engrossed in singing their math fact songs. In each classroom, with each group of students, the faculty are sharing their knowledge and excitement about their subjects. Most primary schools, both public and private, are unable to offer subject specialists to their young students, and instead rely upon self-contained classrooms and generalist teachers. This is the case in larger schools because the connection that a child makes with his or her teacher is so important to the child being comfortable enough to learn. In contrast, our size allows all of our students to be known by all of the staff, so that the sense of care that exists within the classroom in a larger school is able to spread throughout the entire school community at Whiteman Primary. This, combined with Morning Meeting as a grounding experience to start the day, allows our students to benefit from the passion of their accomplished subject-specialized teachers. If you have any questions or thoughts about how this is working for your child, please be sure to let me know.