Stories of that one teacher that made a difference are common. Teachers that saw past a students’ deficiencies and focused on the qualities that made them unique. While teachers similar to those featured in this article from The Atlantic are often outliers, every teacher at UVWS is that one teacher. This is because they intentionally focus on nurturing the child as much as the student, the human as much as the academic. They do this because they believe it is a superior way of educating young people, helping them to grow into adults capable of moving their world towards a more just and peaceful future. What the teacher in the aforementioned article did was connect to the human within the student. Because the student felt supported and cared for by his teacher, he felt confident enough in himself to believe that he could face challenges head on, and overcome them through hard work and determination. The capacity to work through hard things is something that served the student throughout his life.

The developmentally appropriate curriculum at UVWS is designed to spark the interest and curiosity of the students, and allows them to be instrumental in creating their own educational texts. Scientific inquiry and understanding are natural parts of the UVWS curriculum. Our students are immersed in nature from the youngest ages, learning about their environment through stories and fables. As they progress through the grades they are active participants in learning and understanding about the world around them. The stories from early childhood that instilled a sense of wonder and interest continue to fuel their passion as they grow older.

The Atlantic article also notes that the average years of experience for current teachers is just three years. This is particularly significant because at UVWS our lead and subject teachers average more than 15 years’ experience in the classroom. This is truly a blessing for our school and our community as we feel confident every student is getting that “one teacher.”