Middle School Math Teacher (Grades 7-8), Larchmont Charter School

Larchmont is a constructivist school. Constructivism is a theory of learning which holds that each of us has a unique schema of the world based on our lived experience and that by interacting with our environment we make connections to what we already know and construct new meaning. It is therefore essential that we know our students well to be able to meet them where they are and grow from there. We do this through small class size, looping, longer periods of instruction, and a focus on social-emotional development and community K-12. Learning is seen as an active process. Diversity is core to our model because it is through ensuring a richly diverse environment - of both people and programming - that we create the setting for learning to occur. The diversity of our community provides students the opportunities to interact and benefit from students and staff from disparate backgrounds often resulting in a variety of perspectives leading to diversity of thought and increasing critical and creative thinking. The diversity in the program - both the interdisciplinary project-based learning and the rich array of enrichment and elective offerings - music, art, movement, cooking, gardening, improvisation, and more K-12 - tap into our students' multiple intelligences and facilitate them making connections across the curriculum. This is the power of our model. This Diverse by Design video highlights the power of integration and how Larchmont is part of a national movement to realize the vision and promise of Brown v. Board of Education. It was made possible through a generous benefactor and professional filmmaker in our community. Copy and paste this link to your browser to learn more about LCS: https://youtu.be/NrSKSbkju2c