Confidence and Community in the K-1

Part of our mission here at Robert C. Parker School is to nurture confidence and community. Both were more than evident in Parker’s K/1 classroom, during Their Show of Work. It was an exuberant testament to what happens when we trust young children to show us what they think is important.

From meticulously crafted, self-study puppets to an expansive, hand-drawn map of Parker’s campus, our youngest learners wasted no time in schooling the grown-ups. Student work exhibited choice, autonomy, and yet a powerful sense of being part of a collective whole.

As K/1 teacher Brittany explained, “When you look at the work displayed and read our class-authored books, remember that this is our classroom’s knowledge. This is not me writing for them or telling them what to do. The students sat here with me through many meetings, adding ideas, editing their ideas, sharing their ideas. It is really an incredible body of work that comes from their minds. I don’t feel like I deserve any congratulations. None of this was me. This was ALL them.”