BRATTLEBORO — Tim Ellis is well known in the community as the man who puts the “play” in KidsPLAYce. But this fall, he is heading back to school.
Ellis will be co-teaching grades 1 through 6 at The Neighborhood Schoolhouse, which emphasizes hands-on learning in multiage classrooms. Because of the school's experiential learning model, Ellis said his play-oriented teaching style, developed through 15 years of working with kids, will be right at home.
“Play is vitally important to kids' learning,” Ellis said. “Of course, you have to work and struggle for certain concepts – but the motivation to learn comes from play and enjoyment.”
Ellis sees Neighborhood as a good fit for him, because the spacious classrooms, the gardens tended by the children, and the 500-acre Retreat woods help create “a learning environment that is rich and engaging.” And once kids are engaged, he said, “you can bring them partway into the learning experience, and they take it the rest of the way.”
Ellis will remain the director of KidsPLAYce in addition to his full-time teaching position.
Local musician Mary Cay Brass has also joined the Neighborhood staff as music teacher, and long-time kindergarten teacher Dot MacDonald will now serve as a dedicated literacy and writing specialist for children in kindergarten through sixth grade.
The Neighborhood Schoolhouse is a small, private elementary and preschool offering progressive education for kids three through 12. The integrated, theme-based curriculum provides a balance of creative and analytical thinking designed to help students excel academically while also nurturing curiosity, building social and leadership skills, and engendering a sense of responsibility to one's community.
For more information, visit www.NeighborhoodSchoolhouse.com or call 802-257-5544.