The Value of Small Schools

I was born and raised in Oakland, California in an area now known as the Laurel District in a small, one bedroom house. My mother was concerned about both my size (ironic now, probably) and my social ability to navigate Oakland’s public school system. She felt I would be more successful in a smaller environment, so she enrolled me in one of the top private schools in the area (at great monetary sacrifice) called Bentley School, at the time a K - 8 school located on the border of Oakland and Berkeley, partially up the tree covered hills that kept the cool marine air in and the heat out year round. I started Kindergarten having just turned five and quickly grew to love school under the incredible care of Mr. Meadows, my teacher. 

I have not forgotten about the parade of incredible teachers and opportunities I had to foster my learning as I continued through school. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Black, encouraged us to look beyond our own planet in an exploration of the solar system resulting in a very creative Venetian diorama using light red kitty litter for sand. In sixth grade I delivered a monologue as Nelson Mandela, doing my best South African accent. This was on the heels of my stellar performance as Alexander the Donkey in my 4th grade class play about California state history. We had a project called an “I Project” where we did a deep dive into any topic we wanted to discover more about. I chose dolphins, and part of my research meant going through the Yellow Pages (the yellow pages was a giant book filled with business phone numbers and information in alphabetical order, sort of a print version of Yelp but without the ratings and it didn’t fit in your pocket) and cold calling any business that had the word “Dolphin” in it to see if I could ask them questions. Talk about building communication skills! This project ultimately led me to share the stage with a former Flipper (old TV show) dolphin trainer at a protest at the nearby marine mammal park and share with the crowd why holding dolphins in captivity is wrong.

All of this to say, in hindsight, I feel very lucky to have been a part of that community for nine years, and it is one of the main reasons I have returned to the independent schools as an educator. The small class sizes, ability to follow my passions and cultivate new ones, and most importantly, be my authentic self as a learner and community member, was pivotal in my growth. It has brought me great joy to see these same, invaluable opportunities for our Seabury students. We value learning, discovery, and creativity, and we help our students live that every day through our small class sizes, amazing teachers, and nurturing community. Whether students are learning about the Fibonacci Sequence, creating a visual representation using ribbons of (literally) how long Chinese history is, or thinking through pivotal systems in our state, our students are reaping the benefits of what it means to be a part of Seabury. I know that it is still early in my tenure, but I cannot wait to see what our faculty have in store for our students!