Greenwood School offers a dynamic education that recognizes the developmental phases and fosters the emerging capacities of each child. Enlivened education is filled with vitality, enthusiasm and spirit of imagination.

Strong relationships are forged in the classroom and school community. Our teachers work to deeply understand each child and deliver lessons that take them to the next step of their academic and social development. Without knowing why, children respond to this enthusiasm and attention by reflecting back their best achievements. Educational researchers now recognize that social and emotional learning is a prerequisite for academic success. We are very intentional about the social health of children and their peers. For example, a story about the trials of noble leaders might be used to teach compassion or perseverance in the face of adversity.

Honoring the seasons of nature and our healthy daily rhythms help cultivate strong, foundational habits to serve a lifetime. Every day the children experience morning routines that include both physical and mental activities, followed by a focused main lesson period where they concentrate on a particular area of study for a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Artistic expression is used as a tool for deeper learning, rather than as a process to create a product. For example, a subject matter is initially introduced through an oral story such as fairytale, fable, or biography of a historical figure. Students then absorb and understand the lesson further by drawing or painting, sculpting or even dramatizing the story. Practical arts like knitting and woodworking are an integral part of our curriculum and offer more than coordination, patience and skill. Rhythmical movements while working with the hands also promotes the mental operations of logic (reaching conclusions, forming judgments, and comprehension) and further develops intelligence, which is formed through activity, movement and manual dexterity.

The lessons move from heart to hands to head (or feeling, doing, thinking). When concepts are delivered in a more experiential manner, emphasizing the learning process over the product, it results in deeper meaning, increased understanding and retention. As part of Greenwood School’s experiential learning children will sing and play an instrument, serve a meal, act in a play, carve a spoon, make their own textbooks, knit socks, create a media presentation, hike Mt. Tam, explore tide pools and restore a watershed!