Many middle schools teach facts. Willow school teaches understanding.

Universities and Fortune 500 companies use Systems Thinking, yet this discipline, which helps students understand and navigate a complex world, isn’t widely taught or used in schools. Willow students are engaged with Systems Thinking in elementary and middle school through interdisciplinary studies and projects. This way of thinking prepares them to be good problem solvers and effective citizens who know how to create positive change in the world.Here’s how Willow students practice Systems Thinking in our classrooms: 

• When Grade 5 students study the Agricultural Revolution, they are tasked with formulating a sustainable innovation that would lessen the revolution’s impact on the environment.
• Grade 6 students create Systems Thinking maps during their in-depth study of the American Dust Bowl. The project deepens their understanding of the interdependent relationships among ecosystems during this period of history.
• Grade 8 students apply Systems Thinking to their analysis and understanding of slavery in Colonial America using the “Iceberg Model.”

Willow students are engaged with some of the oldest art forms on earth, vital to their intellectual and physical development. Handcrafts are taught from Kindergarten to Grade 4. Weaving and knitting, for instance, mirror traditional methods of storytelling, which supports literacy and language arts. The tactile nature of the Handcrafts program also develops fine motor skills, such as manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination.Architecture begins in Grade 5. Students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the process of design. Handcrafts & Architecture, in conjunction with core academic subjects, foster creativity, self-discovery, and higher order thinking skills.

One of the most recognized attributes of Willow students is their ease and ability with public speaking. Children are encouraged to find their voice at an early age in classroom meetings, discussions, and Morning Gathering, where every student in every grade has multiple opportunities to ask questions, present insights from class studies and projects, and contribute ideas to a school-wide conversation.The benefits of the constant practice of communication is most evident at Graduation when each Grade 8 student delivers thought-provoking, powerful, and sometimes hilarious speeches reflecting upon their time at Willow.

We believe that meaningful exposure to multiple world languages is vital to forming global citizens who can communicate across cultures. French and Spanish are taught in Grades K- 2. In Grade 3, students choose to continue with French or Spanish until Grade 8. The progression of study includes fluency (speaking and understanding), proficiency (reading and writing), and cultural appreciation. Latin, the root of so many world languages, is required in Grades 6-8 in addition to French or Spanish..Grade 7 and 8 students have earned numerous awards in the National Latin Exam, a competition involving more than 150,000 Latin students throughout the U.S. and 20 foreign countries.