Horace Mann Elementary School (https://www.horacemanndc.org/) is a public elementary school in Washington DC. About 400 students from PK-Grade 5 attend the school. The first thing that struck me about the school was the welcoming entry way filled with light and a two story living wall. The principal, Elizabeth Whisnant met with me, answered my questions and took me on a tour of the school. Although the school is not specifically a project-based learning school, a great deal of PBL takes place and personalizing the learning experience for students and making it authentic are a very large focus. Clearly, this focus is working because all of the students that I came into contact with seemed very happy and excited to be at school and learn. As I visited the school, I was introduced to some large projects that have been undertaken this year.
The first project I was shown was the “Mann Museum”. This project was inspired by all students reading the book Milo’s Museum and coincided with the Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools. This project allowed each student to identify and share something important about themselves, recognize the diversity in their community, and find ways to connect to others and build a sense of community and belonging. Each student in the school created their own “museum box” which contains an item that is meaningful, a photo of the student and an explanation of the item. For the museum opening, parents were invited to the school and students acted as docents who took parents on guided tours. To build a sense of community and keep the interest of the students on the project throughout the rest of the year, students are asked two questions each week and they answer the questions by placing responses in the “Mann Museum” comments box.
An ongoing authentic experience for students is the “Mann Farm”. This project has many components to it. The school has a focus on sustainability and the students learn about composting, recycling and reducing waste. There is a rooftop garden where produce is grown by the students in the fall and spring. There is also an indoor garden that consists of many plant towers that allows students to grow in the colder months. In addition to the produce on the rooftop garden, the school has chickens during the fall and spring. Finally, there are beehives and the students work with beekeepers to learn about caring for bees and also make honey. Every Thursday, the students have “salad day” where they eat salad made with their produce. In addition, in the warmer months, the school hosts a farmers market each Thursday where some of the produce, eggs and baked goods made by the students are sold in addition to produce grown by local farmers.
In addition to the great work the school is doing in the classroom with students, a program that I found very unique and interesting is Horace Mann’s is partnership with the nearby American University. Horace Mann has partner teachers that act as a second teacher in each classroom. These partner teachers are education students at the American University. The students are part of the school from late August until June. Their work at Horace Mann counts for their teaching placements and the students attend evening classes at American University. Each Monday morning, all partner teachers work with one of the faculty members from Horace Mann to learn practical teaching tips and go over any questions or concerns that may come up. The placement at Horace Mann is a wonderful opportunity for prospective teachers to learn what it is like to be in a school full time. The partner teachers allow Horace Mann to have another adult in each classroom helping and teaching the students. The partner teachers are paid a small stipend as their work goes above and beyond a traditional teaching placement. All in all, Ms. Whisnant describes this partnership as a “win-win”. I was impressed with this partnership and its positive impact on both the school and the prospective future teachers.
From Teaching to Learning 