Meet Our Lower School Director

Education, as John Dewey states, “is a world in the making. It is a scene of risk; it is uncertain, unstable, not at all closed or settled, but full of choice, novelties and possibilities.”

 

Our Lower School is a limitless journey of self-discovery and possibility. Joy and wonder abound as our curious learners engage with people, ideas, and experiences that invite them to ask big, bold questions. An Irwin’s girl encounters many firsts in our Lower School: reading, writing, solving problems, and making independent choices. Guided by teachers who believe in, respect, and care for our girls, our youngest learners develop self-determination and confident leadership. They take profitable risks that develop the competence and confidence they will need throughout their lifetime. They learn to fail gracefully and often, as well as practice the principles of resilience: steering through, bouncing back, overcoming, and reaching out. Throughout their journey, our girls develop a sense of purpose knowing that they matter, they belong, and that they have a unique contribution to make in this world.

 

Steeped in current research on brain development and what is best for girls, teachers support individual needs as girls represent their thoughts and ideas. In our classrooms, iWonder Lab, art studio, and on the playground, symbols represent the language of reading and writing to support emergent literacy; manipulation of materials through tinkering transforms into logical thinking; public speaking gives rise to confident leadership; and caring interactions build character. Our girls leave the Lower School living the values of an Agnes Irwin education: discovering her own voice, making courageous choices, creatively questioning and innovating, and caring for others in her community.

 

There is no one with more access to your daughter’s “enoughness” than you, writes Rachel Simmons, author of Enough As She Is. You know more than anyone her bright, promising future. Her future begins in our Lower School with The Agnes Irwin School’s legacy of empowering girls to care for each other, the local community, and the broader global world. Give her the opportunity to discover who SHE is — as a learner, as a friend, and as a leader. I invite you to visit and learn firsthand about our Lower School experience.

 

The warmth, joy, and wonder is contagious. Come and see for yourself!

 

Elizabeth Elizardi

Lower School Director