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2009: New & Noteworthy Private Elementary School

A True Blue Education
Emotions, exploration and exuberance in the classroom

On the Lower East Side, children tumble, dance and play in the “Wonder Room,” a space with padded structures, interactive lights and textured materials. They learn the alphabet from a clown named Agnes and choose between studying Mandarin or Spanish at age 3.

This classroom model, which encourages students to explore their own interests and form confidence in their ideas and emotions, was conceived by creators of The Blue Man Group. Founded in 2006, The Blue School now offers classes for ages 2 through kindergarten, and added a 1st grade class this fall. Founders Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink based the school on an educational model that is very different from other New York public schools.

“We are trying to create a model that enables children to grow in a way that allows for social-emotional learning and creative exploration to be on par with core academic subjects,” said Brad Choyt, the school’s director. “We feel that children really need all those skills to be delivered in a way to encourage lifelong learning and exuberance in the classroom.”

To cultivate excitement for knowledge, the subjects are integrated in a non-traditional way.

“Academics are also infused with excitement and play and wonder,” said Dawn Williams, whose son Zachary Fluger is in the kindergarten class. “We brought worms in for class and the teacher said, ‘We’ll look at the worms soon, but I want the kids to experience the wonder of them before we delve into the science.’”

Lessons are based on the children’s interests. If students are interested in the rain forest, the music lesson might incorporate songs of the region and the math lesson might count types of trees.

“Zachary is a 5-year-old who feels that he has an interest,” Williams said. “He thinks that his ideas are worth bringing to his parents, teachers and peers, that they’re worth delving in to more.”

The Blue School also places importance on emotional awareness. In Zachary’s kindergarten classroom, children “check in” every morning, placing their photograph on a board that identifies various emotions. Throughout the day, they can make changes according to their mood.

“The emotional awareness component was what really drew us in and what has really impacted him through his time there,” Williams said. “He’s able to have a feeling, and he’s able to name it and to say it. Having that vocabulary and knowing what it feels like is really useful.”

Even conflicts are handled differently at The Blue School.

“We believe in time-ins as opposed to time-outs,” Choyt said. “If a child is misbehaving, we try to get to the source. It might be that the child needs a little more attention or nurturing, or needs to be heard a little more.”

Along with the children, parents are also welcome in the classrooms. In the 2s classroom, parents are actually required to be there, and in the 3s classroom, parents practice “supported autonomy” to help children explore independence. Outside the classroom, there are 10 parent committees, like the eco-committee and parent liaison committee, which allow parents to be involved in ways that most interest them.

The overall goal is to expand the traditional model of education to give children the tools to explore passions from a young age.

“We’re trying to light a fuse and let a rocket take off,” Choyt said. “We’re interested in propelling the children to make their own choices for learning and pursue their interests.”

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The Blue School
Lower East Side
646-602-7066
www.theblueschool.org
Brad Choyt, Director
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— Isha Dandavate