Foothills School of Arts and Sciences
Working with Foothills was a treat for a new teacher! This private, forward thinking school strived to incorporate cutting-edge ideas in education into their school and curriculum. Occupying a space near the public library and in the heart of downtown Boise, Foothills focuses on intellectual development and civic responsibility. The classrooms had no doors, only curtains to create temporary barries when necessary, no bells shouted at the students to move from one class to another, and the teachers very much took on a role as the "meddler in the middle," consistently allowing students to explore while popping in to offer guidance or correction. In other words...teacher and student heaven!
I began working with their Spanish program after my graduate studies at Boise State University. Teaching a small class of 10 students, we started with the basic elements of a new language and grew from there. The lead Spanish instructor provided me with some curriculum materials, but encouraged me to tweak and adjust it to fit the students needs. Test were suggested (and administered), but not required per se. In fact, although students did receive grades, few students knew what "grade they had" or really seemed to be too concerned about it. Instead, more kids seemed focused on whether they actually knew something or not; in the Spanish classroom, that is demonstrated by *gasp!* speaking the language correctly.