San Francisco, CA
One Fifty Parker School

Teachers Are:

OVERALL RATING: (4.6)
Full of energy and seemingly happy in job
Patient and affectionate with children
Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her
Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior
Provides feedback on what my child does during the day
Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate
Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses
If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off
Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute
Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them
Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn
Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts
Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children

source:

Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching

Description of how teachers work with children who are  "behind," "excelling" or "different" from the majority of students

Teachers work closely to get to know the child's individual character, interests, and passions. Primarily through a developmental approach, in which all aspects of the child's growth are taken into account, teachers are able to identify the child's strengths and areas that need more development.

We meet the child's needs at his/her developmental level. While we have a foundation for our curricula, the teachers exhibit flexibility in order to bring the learning to the child's level, instead setting expectations for the class as a whole.

Parents' Comments on Individualized Teaching

Parent #1
The faculty is outstanding. They are patient and fair and foster a sense of independence with the children. They emphasize respect at an age- appropriate level. They also do an exceptional job of managing a wide range of abilities often found with this age group.

Parent #2
Parker teachers tend to be calm, nurturing types. The school draws on the abilities of teachers and parents almost exclusively for all activities and does not bring in outside specialists such as musicians, yoga instructors, etc. This is hard to swallow for some parents who had enrolled their kids in multiple classes prior to joining the school, particularly since the kids are going to Parker 5 days a week.

Parent #3
The teachers at 150 Parker are consistently marvelous and extraordinarily sensitive to the kids and parents. They each bring a variety of skills to their teaching but share a genuine love of young children and enjoyment of helping them explore their world.

Parent #4
Each teacher has a different style but I think as a whole all are very good. In the younger class they are more nurturing and the older more about defining boundaries. There is not a lot of opportunity for daily updates but at the reviews or if I stop in to ask, the teachers are always glad to give a review. In the Kindergarten there is a cleat daily routine defined so these teachers are not as available because they are more actively teaching.

Parent #5
I love it that the Parker teachers truly LOVE my children & value the unique things that each child brings to the classroom. Even with potentially 'difficult' kids, they are consistently loving and calm -- I think the developmental philosophy makes the teachers and school as a whole totally accepting.

Parent #6
There are two teachers in the kindergarten class of about 14 children. The teachers are the best part of Parker...they are loving, kind, very focused on developmental philosophy and true believer in empowering children with the ability of handily disputes in a really constructive manner.

Parent #7
I have had many Parker teachers - by and large they are great - esp. A.M. and kindergarten. The P.M. teachers could benefit from knowing more about private schools - not very knowledgeable to advise parents applying.

Parent #8
I have found 3 of the 4 AM Nursery teachers to be fairly joyless as they go about their job. They can be downright cold to parents, but I have not observed the same treatment of the children. I think the teachers act happier and more energetic when the parents are not around. I came in to the classroom once when the teachers did not see me immediately, and they were dancing and laughing with the children. When they noticed me, they stopped immediately.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!

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