Small Class Advantage
Our Classrooms
It’s no secret that our school is small, tucked in a snug street, with our banner welcoming our students and parents towards our doors. It's then given that our classrooms are also small, smaller than most, with the upstairs classroom furnished with small tables, chairs, a smartboard in the front, cabinets with toys in the back, alongside a mat for the kids to play on. It’s also the same cabinet that is right next to our small kitchen, which our students also use to wash their hands. On the first floor, the classroom is fairly larger, with it being two rooms opposed to one room. In the front room is where Circle Time is held, and where the toys are in the top left corner. In the second back room, there are small tables where the little kids both eat their lunch + snacks alongside doing their work during class lessons.
Decor
At FLIST, we believe that not only directing our education goals towards our students is important, but as one may have looked through our site, creativity is too. It then makes sense for us to have all our walls decorated with colorful arts &crafts, drawings made by our students, and any seasonally related crafts, such as stickers on windows, or parchment paper being made into flowers or webs for Halloween. These decorations are not only fun for the students to do, but by having their works and class projects showcased, we wish to make our classrooms more akin to a home for them. On the second floor, for example, the back is filled with pictures taken of our students doing projects, playing, and happily interacting with everyone in our community. In the front, next to where our teachers conduct their lessons, is a wall filled with drawings that our students have drawn.
A picture showcasing the artwork our students have made for each other, and for us.
Stronger Relationships
For all of us, fostering a close relationship between student to student and student to teacher is valued. Making sure all of our students feel valued and able to speak about their thoughts, whether it be something currently troubling them, or even sharing a picture that they drew. Because of the small class sizes and small classrooms, it’s easier for them to build these strong relationships by themselves, and even for the newest of students, to feel like family. During the students' play time, everyone always asks each other if they can play, often playing house with blocks, reading together, sharing colored pencils, or pretending to serve ice cream to both teachers or one another. After their play time, and after cleaning up, students always share what they have done back at home, play rock-paper-scissors, or try to make each other laugh with silly faces as they wait for class to start
Looking out for one another
Whether it be while waiting in line for the bathroom, at their tables, or even when outside, all of our students are not only careful with themselves, but also look out for others. Oftentimes, this is looking out for anything that one may not have noticed, such as a piece of trash that was dropped, or something they may have forgotten to do. As they continue to look out for each other, it builds on their foundations of self-confidence, communication skills, and awareness, and fosters a sense of reassurance in everyone. Reassurance in feeling heard, valued, and being alongside our small community. While these factors could be done in a larger school and classrooms, in a smaller, yet filled space, such as our school, it brings an incentive to form strong relationships as everyone is physically closer, thus easier to form these interpersonal relationships.
