Elementary

 

Holden Elementary is composed of students in kindergarten through sixth grade. In the ten years I've taught here, the average class size has been five or six students. The most students I've had during one year has been nine. One of the benefits of this small class size has been that students are able to work at their own pace. If a student comes in to the school behind in an academic area that’s all right, we just work together to move them forward. If a student arrives ahead of their grade level in a certain area, they move forward as quickly as they are able. Before teaching at Holden, one of my biggest frustrations in teaching was having to move everyone in the class forward at the same pace. That's not an issue here.

A great thing about going to school in this setting is the amount of community involvement here. I've used community members to teach everything from pottery to mechanics, from music to chemistry, from archery to dance. Visitors to our classroom include students from Afghanistan and Australia and classroom volunteers from Chile to Uzbekistan.

Holden is located in a unique setting and we try to take advantage of that. In the fall, we go on several hikes which allow us to get to know the area where we live. In the winter, we switch to snowshoes and skis. Most years we take an extensive field trip during the year. On past field trips we've explored the San Juan Islands, Grand Coulee Dam, the Rose Stone Fossil Dig in North Central Washington, and the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla.

I'm constantly amazed and thankful for the opportunity I've had to teach in this incredible place. Take a look at the links above to get more information on the specific content taught at the school.

--Steve Marks, Holden Elementary School Teacher