You first came to NCCL as a parent. What led you to choose NCCL for your daughter?
She was in another private school. They had skipped her a grade against our wishes, but they said that was the only way they could accommodate her academically. As a third grade-age child, they put her in a situation where she had to change classes, so she had seven different teachers, which is totally inappropriate for that age. And she put so much pressure on herself academically that I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown! We knew we had to do something, so we called NCCL that summer. We met Ann, she showed us around, and fortunately there was an opening for our daughter. It was perfect for her-it was exactly what she needed. The kids here were so different from any other school I'd seen. They were happy and excited to be here; they wanted to do more than they were asked to do.
How did you get involved in teaching at NCCL?
I had taught second grade in public school in Maryland and had substituted at various other schools. When my daughter came here, I started teaching quilting and other crafts and also substituting. I ended up filling in here and there, teaching various things, for about two years. When Marilynn and Ray adopted their daughter, they wanted to cut back on their hours to spend more time with her, so Marilynn and I shared the role of teaching the five-year-olds. For several years after that, I shared that group with another teacher. That worked out for me because I wanted to work part-time instead of full-time.
What made you decide to switch from teaching to administration?
The administrator and the teacher I'd been job-sharing with retired at the same time, so Ann asked me if I'd be willing to teach full-time. I said I'd like to continue to teach part-time and offered to do the administrative job. It really requires someone who knows about the school and understands what we do here. It was just about impossible to bring in an outsider to do it, so they were more than happy to give me the job. A couple of years after that, I took on the role of Director when Ann decided she wanted to focus more on teaching. We had always had an Administrator separate from the Director, but now they're combined.
What do you think makes NCCL so different from other schools?
We look at the individual children, evaluate where they are, and provide an educational experience that's going to move them on at their own rate using their interests to get them involved. By allowing them to use their skills in meaningful ways, they're more motivated to keep learning. When I taught in public school, you were given the textbook, everyone did the same thing at the same time at the same pace, and it worked for the middle part of the group. You were always leaving someone behind and there were always kids sitting there bored. That doesn't happen here. Every child is being challenged. Another difference is the family atmosphere. The kids and teachers are very close. It's a wonderful place for kids to be because they're happy here.
What do you like to tell visitors?
A lot of what I have to tell them is how we're organized; the "nuts and bolts" part of it. But I also like to tell them what I was just saying about how we teach the children and the relationship that the children have with the teachers. A lot of parents will say things like, "If you don't give the kids grades, why do they work?" Or, "How do you know a child is working if you don't give them tests?" I think it's important to understand that children, especially younger ones, don't work for grades, although they might be afraid of getting a bad grade because they might get yelled at. Kids love to learn. If you give them the right environment and encourage and support them where they need it, they'll continue to love to learn. I think it's sad that most of the traditional schools really kill that. When I taught second grade in public school, there were very few kids there who were still excited about learning anything the way I had to teach them. But here, I see our seventh and eighth grade-age kids still very involved in what they're doing and excited about it. I think that's something that you don't see in many schools.
The kids here always seem to be interested in and excited about whatever's going on.
Yes, and they come up with such wonderful ideas. So much of the curriculum here flows from what the kids have come up with. In a traditional school, there's very little time to do anything spontaneous. When I taught here, I'd have an idea of what I was going to do and I'd come in with the materials, but then we'd get going with something and the kids would come up with a better idea. As a teacher here, you're always scurrying to try to stay ahead of the kids-you're not pushing them to do this or that.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I love being here. It's a wonderful place to work. I can't imagine being anywhere else. The school has been such a big part of my life and my family's life. Ann has been wonderful. It's amazing to me that one person could start something like this and have it turn out to be such a wonderful school that has affected so many people.