Berkeley, CA
Aquatic Park School

Teachers Are:

OVERALL RATING: (4.7)
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

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Parents' Comments on Individualized Teaching

Parent #1
Teachers also note in a binder daily comments regarding child's eating, napping, play activities, any accidents, etc.

Parent #2
Our son has two lead teachers for his group of ten kids. They are both laid back, calm individuals who are deeply caring and loving with the children. They also continue to take ECE courses and incorporate their learning in their group. They share their learning with the parents as well.

Parent #3
The two teachers for her grade level are excellent, as are teachers of other classes.

Parent #4
At our child's school, she has exposure to all the teachers throughout the day. As all the teachers have different strengths and personality traits, I feel that any weaknesses in any one teacher will be balanced out by the other teachers. The only quasi-negative thing I would say is that the kids do not get a lot of personal attention when they are having a difficult time during transitions. They are encouraged to self-help themselves, instead. This can be rough, but they all do come through it fine.

Parent #5
The teachers at APS are across the board outstanding. The faculty works constantly to grow in their understanding of children, as well as to be good communicators with parents. The school does a good job of pairing each experienced teacher with a less experienced teacher so that they make a great team with a group of students grouped by age (Pandas, Elephants, Giraffes, Dolphins, etc.). The school takes great care to find and KEEP good teachers, which is not always easy. The staff and its leadership is one of the main reasons to be at the school. Many special activities are offered as add-on activities with specialists (dance, Spanish, etc.) which is great for our children who have particular interests. By the way, why do your questions above assume the teachers are all female? We love that our son has a male teacher at APS!

Parent #6
I honestly don't know how they remember all the details and communicate them among the staff as well as they do. Sometimes, it seems like magic.

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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