Abstract
Mission Hill School (MHS) was a democratically run, thematic, project-based school in Boston. Founding member Deborah Meier provides an introduction to a mother and daughter’s personal narrative of their time at the school. Boston Public Schools closed MHS in 2022.
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Democracy was, from childhood on, my passion and the purpose of the world my parents lived in. It was contagious, but also as complex an idea and as hard to fully achieve as getting to the moon was.
I retired from New York City public schools when I was sixty-five. I went to work with my ally and mentor Ted Sizer.Footnote 1 We wrote; we went on speaking tours; I helped in the founding of the Annenberg Center in Providence. But having spent the past thirty-five years inside urban public schools and classrooms, I found it hard to be looking in and advising rather than doing it. I missed the Central Park East schools. On the way up to Boston one day to see my teacher friends, Brenda Engel and Eleanor Duckworth, I thought maybe the three of us could dream up a new school in Boston. They loved the idea, and Boston had just initiated a perfect match—pilot schools with almost full autonomy, funded on the same basis as its regular public schools.Footnote 2
Another Boston friend and I drafted the required information about the kindergarten through grade eight school (K-Eight) we wanted to create. Mission Hill was founded and opened the next fall, 1997.
We founded the school on the five democratic principles of “Habits of Mind”Footnote 3 (optimism, flexibility, resilience, persistence, and empathy). We wanted democratic decision-making to be possible at the school and classroom level, where leaders, teachers, staff, families, and students all had a voice at the table.
The idea was a school in which ultimate authority rested in the hands of a Board of equal numbers (five) of parents and teachers and also five community members that we—parents and teachers—chose. (Later we added five students.) This was new to me. My previous schools were more properly called “teacher-run” and did not have such community involvement.
There are many ways to try to make sure that each “citizen” has an equal voice and access to resources and that power rests on their knowledgeable and free consent. Mission Hill aspired to be such a community.
We hired very experienced teachers who wanted the kind of collegiality we proposed in designing the school and the time needed to run the school collectively. The teachers came with their own belief in democracy. We believed that our students could best learn about democracy by witnessing us trying to do it and over time practicing it with us.
This democratic approach also meant a certain kind of pedagogy and curriculum. We designed a curriculum theme for fall, winter, and spring that would be carried out from the kindergarten-first grade team all the way through to the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade classes. The curriculum left room, we hoped, for creativity, in adapting to each teacher’s own class.
We treated the teachers’ ideas seriously, believing this would transfer to them taking their students’ ideas seriously too. We wanted teachers to give their students choices when possible and time to “play,” not just in kindergarten. Playing with blocks, designing bridges, and creating useful graphs are all exercises in “playing with ideas”—and modes of work we all respected and practiced. They were all part of our shared vision as we excitedly waited for our first six classes to arrive.
Yes, this vision of democracy was not, at first, easy to do! While teachers would have a lot of autonomy, we wanted a voice in holding each other accountable—that’s where the Governing Board, frequent individual class, and whole-school gatherings would help us all. This also meant “too many” meetings—a basic democracy problem! Yet it turned out that meetings where you have an actual voice do not feel as long as meetings where someone talks at you.
For twenty-five years that lasted beyond my tenure at the school, Mission Hill School (MHS) lived out, as best it could, a vision of democracy. As you will see from Carolyn and Selma’s experience, many students greatly benefited from this approach. The “habits” of heart and mind that make democracy work is the vision we all hold. But habits take time and practice if they are to survive the inevitable crises that all of us face.
A Mother and Daughter’s Reflection of Mission Hill School
“What do you remember most about Mission Hill School,” I asked eight-year-old Selma.
“I remember my friends and my teachers,” she replied. “I remember the time we had to play and to work on our own projects. We don’t have that time now. I miss it.”
Selma started Kindergarten at Mission Hill School in 2018. We wanted a school that centered equity and integration at its core with a sense of the greater good. Additionally, we wanted a school that focused on “the whole child,” that saw children as creators, and that did not reduce them to a test score. Selma was reading chapter books at age four. As a child-centered rather than test-centered school, MHS honed Selma’s gifts and the gifts of her fellow students.
Boston Public Schools (BPS) closed Mission Hill School in 2022 due to lawsuits surrounding bullying among the students. The school was not perfect—like all schools, it needed to improve in many areas, including its literacy instruction, its consistency across classrooms, its student safety, the social/emotional learning of its students, and the integration of its diverse community. Yet BPS was wrong to close MHS. The school provided the most culturally rich, academically engaging curriculum in the district. The closure of the school is a significant loss to the city and to the field of education.
The following provides a glimpse into our experience at Mission Hill School and Selma’s academic evolution from kindergarten to second grade. MHS sparked Selma’s creativity, imagination, and independent thinking. The school nurtured her abilities as a writer.
Our Experience in K1/K2 (First and Second Years of Kindergarten)
“Do you remember Kathy and Liana?” I asked Selma.
“Oh yes! They were so nice. I remember them reading us books at nap time,” she replied.
Kathy Clunis D’Andrea and Liana Cosgrove were two part-time teachers who shared their time in Selma’s K1/K2 class, accompanied by a full-time paraprofessional named June.
Kathy and Liana both expertly handled a small mixed-aged, experiential classroom. Their love of teaching was infectious. They beautifully managed students with a wide range of abilities in the same class—from K1 students on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to extremely advanced K2 students. They carefully observed each child, taking the time to discover their strengths and specific needs. They discussed their discoveries of each child with families, celebrating the child’s gifts while also providing a plan and empathetic support for areas that needed improvement. Here is a description of their learning from a 2018 school-wide newsletter:
Verse
Verse Room 106 Kathy, Liana & June For the past two weeks, we’ve been diving deep into the skill of using words to describe attributes. We read the book Quick as a Cricket, which uses attribute words to describe animals (happy as a lark; gentle as a lamb). Over the course of these discussions, we’ve noticed that attribute words are connected to every subject. In math we’ve sorted buttons by shape, color, size and number of holes. We’ve noticed how the attributes of our monarch larvae have changed during their metamorphosis. We’ve discussed the attributes of our bodies and hair as we’ve created self-portraits in the classroom and in the art room. We’ve noticed how authors use text of various shapes and sizes to create emphasis in storytelling. We used the new attribute words we’ve been learning to describe something that we could feel in a bag, but couldn’t see (a decorative gourd). Mira said, “It feels hard.” Emerson said, “It felt smooth.” Walter said, “It felt bumpy in some places.” These conversations about descriptive attributes will lay the groundwork for our discussions next week about our new theme: bubbles and foam. —Liana, Kathy & June
The teachers’ report shows how the areas of literacy, math, art, science, and storytelling all intersect with their investigations of attribute words. The children learned to sound out, to spell, and to write a variety of attribute words. They also learned about their tactile meaning by counting and sorting buttons, by drawing their self-portraits, by observing monarch larvae change during metamorphosis, and by using words to describe a purely tactile sensory experience.
Selma loved going to her class—she was upset if she had to miss a day of school. I also enjoyed volunteering in her K1/K2 class and learned so much from observing Liana and Kathy’s model of teaching. Their engaging lessons encouraged inquiry and child participation.
The mixed-aged classroom benefited Selma; she developed relationships with students from across the community. She also developed strong bonds with her teachers who she had for two years. Selma thrived with this Montessori-inspired model—she helped the younger students with reading and the older students helped her with math and science. As an only child, she had a taste of what it is like to have siblings.
The Themed Curriculum
In the first trimester of 2018, the students dove into the theme of Chemistry. They called themselves “cooking chemists” as they learned their fractions by baking. They discovered that a liquid turned into a solid by making whipped cream.
In the second trimester, they studied ancient Egypt. Through frequent trips to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, the students learned hieroglyphics in addition to their letters.
“Did you enjoy going to the MFA,” I asked Selma.
“Yes! I remember peeking through a crack in a sarcophagus to try and see the mummy inside.”
For the last trimester of 2018/2019, Selma learned more about the Southern Freedom Movement than I learned in all my schooling combined.
“What did you learn when you studied the Civil Rights Movement?” I asked.
“I studied Claudette Colvin,” Selma began. “I learned that adults weren’t the only ones who fought for Civil Rights—they were just the only ones who got noticed.”
“Who else fought for Civil Rights?”
“Kids. Martin Luther King said that the best way to fight was to fill up the jails, but the adults didn’t want to, so the kids did.”
“Should we listen to what kids have to say?”
“Yeah. Kids notice things more than adults do normally, because their brains aren’t so used to the world like adults are. Adults have been used to the world for 20 odd years, so they don’t notice things like kids do.”
COVID-19’s Effect on the School
In 2019, Selma’s K2 year was also off to a good start. They spent time outside studying rocks and compost in their first trimester focusing on earth science. In their second trimester, the class spent hours at the Ancient China wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They learned about the culture, belief system, and imperialism of the ancient world through Chinese stories and paintings.
In 2020, the pandemic changed everything. In addition to the many losses that came with the pandemic, COVID-19 also brought the loss of Mission Hill School’s themed curriculum as BPS gave the school a “transformation status.”
Our Experience in the First Grade Classroom
Allison Freedman was Selma’s first/second grade teacher. Though new to the school, Allison came with an enthusiasm for project-based learning and a focus on literacy. We went to a hybrid in-person/online format in the spring of Selma’s first grade year. We no longer had our original curriculum, but the BPS “Focus on Early Learning” curriculum was thematic. It allowed for “studios” where students could opt into projects that related to the topics that they were learning. Ironically, MHS’ themed curriculum influenced the BPS curriculum. Additionally, one of the architects of the “Focus” curriculum was a former MHS teacher.
Though the “Focus” curriculum allowed for projects, Allison said that she learned from her Mission Hill team how to create open-ended projects that truly spark students’ enthusiasm for the subject. She learned how to follow the child’s lead and to use the support of the community. For instance, in a unit called “Resources in our Communities,” Allison decided to add a real-world element to the curriculum by having the class interview local business owners via Zoom. The studio’s project for that theme was to “create their own market.” Though not part of the curriculum, Selma and her second grade classmate decided to create their own bookstore. They wanted to make the books by hand and to bind them. Allison did not direct the project—she followed Selma and her friend’s lead, providing them with the necessary materials. Once all the books were complete, we hosted a sidewalk sale on a weekend.
“We made a bookstore!” Selma said. “And we made all the books…We made $104. We each got $34, and we gave $35 to Mission Hill.”
Allison saw them using their literacy skills from their phonics curriculum in a meaningful way in the creation of their books. When they actually sold the books, they used significant math skills as they determined the price of each book and collected money from their neighbors and friends.
“You created your own business, right?” I asked Selma.
“Yeah—and I think that is what inspired me and Melina to write our own book.”
Our Experience in the Second Grade Classroom
At the beginning of the 2021 school year, the district mishandled the lawsuits against MHS and threw our school into unnecessary chaos and turmoil. Yet despite the disruption to the school, Allison somehow created an engaging and steady classroom. When learning about equitable public space, the class made models of accessible playgrounds for children with disabilities. They frequented an Arboretum close by to observe erosion and to study pollinators in action. For a final project, I collaborated with Allison to help them animate their reports on the pollinators that they studied. Every first and second grade student (except for one first grader on an IEP) could read the reports they wrote, as evidenced here: https://vimeo.com/720488724
Allison got fifteen of the sixteen students in her class up to a good reading level. She observed each child and honed their interests and skills. She allowed for challenging, independent work for the advanced students that enabled her to work individually with students who needed more help.
I asked Allison how she balanced project-based learning with skills fluency in her class, and she said the following:
“Reflecting on my time at Mission Hill, the projects that were the most important to the kids were the ones that they led and that I guided…Any ‘direct instruction’ skills students learned (like phonics, math computation, etc.…) would have a natural use within a deeper, long-term project that would be realized and applied by the students themselves.”
Creating Space for Selma’s Gift of Writing
“What inspired The Night of the Shee?” I asked Selma referring to the 50-page book she wrote in second grade with her friend, Melina
“The ‘Community and Culture’ unit in school,” Selma replied. “So, Melina has a French background, and I have an Irish one. And it’s a story about a girl who moved from France to Ireland during the Second World War.”
Here is an excerpt:Verse
Verse From France to Ireland “And why are we moving again, maman?” here “We have discussed this. We can no longer stay. The war is too dangerous! Your grand-pere was killed! It has been going on too long! We must leave.” “But, maman-” “Do not argue! Now go pack!” “But-” “You heard me, young lady! Now go pack!” Jane O’Sullivan sighed, then stomped up the stairs. She had never agreed to this. Moving to Ireland would never be her first choice. She had always called France her home. Jane sighed again as she stuffed her best shawl into her suitcase. She didn’t know anything about Ireland and didn’t care to learn more. Running away was babyish, she knew that…or maybe, just maybe…it wasn’t.
The story continues to unfold as Jane eventually moves to Ireland. She discovers her royal Irish roots and her family’s relationship with the fairy folk. Here is another excerpt as she and her friend, Ava, stumble upon an enchanted library in the castle where she now lives:Verse
Verse There was a gaping hole in the wall where, just a minute ago, a quarter of a bookshelf had been. “Wow,” Ava whispered. “Where does it lead?” Jane asked. “How am I supposed to know? C’mon. Let’s follow it!” And Ava bravely stepped forward, into the dark tunnel–and vanished. Jane gasped. She looked around, summoned her courage–and stepped after Ava. It was like walking through a sheet of cool water. Jane shivered; this was obviously magical. And, quite suddenly, it was over. Jane was in a long, dark tunnel. A faint light was emanating from the end of the hallway. Her courage seemed to leak from her body with every step she took toward that glowing passage–
Selma and Melina explored their own and each other’s cultural identities, using their gifts of storytelling to create a stunning example of the writing and imagination of two second graders.
The Closure of Mission Hill School
Mission Hill School dramatically and publicly closed. Press surrounded our school, traumatizing the children. The press illegally used our children’s images to sell a sensational story of the misdeeds of an academically failing school. The district falsely accused our children and teachers of poor performance in order to cover their own tracks.
Amidst this turmoil, Allison gave Selma and Melina hard copy versions of their book. More than that, Allison, Kathy, Liana, and many other teachers gave their students the gift of curiosity, the gift of inquiry, and the knowledge that their insights and abilities matter.
The Test-Focused District
We understand that BPS has an arduous task to equitably educate every child in a diverse city that is essentially still segregated. Yet, the district’s handling of MHS was unjust. We feel a deep loss of the Mission Hill community and the beautiful form of education that it provided. One of my biggest concerns is that BPS’ priority on tests over other important academic markers is not helping our children.
Instead of writing her next novel, Selma must spend hours on a computer phonics program that is significantly below her reading level. In third grade, the district does not allow students to write their own material. To prepare for the MCASFootnote 4 tests, their writing must be in response to pre-existing written material. In other words, their writing must paraphrase others’ ideas instead of expressing their own. This is a necessary skill, but as the only focus of third grade writing, it fails to adequately develop literacy and imaginative problem-solving skills.
After my daughter’s engrossing curriculum at Mission Hill School, where science was a hands-on experience rather than a theoretical one, I am sad to see the district’s reliance on videos, worksheets, and computers for their teaching methods. Science no longer excites Selma as it once did. Additionally, children spend a significant portion of their days on computers, despite the research confirming its damaging effects on their brain development, eye health, hormonal balance, and overall well-being (Madigan, 2019).
We understand that schools are in a difficult position as they deal with larger class sizes from teacher shortages and significant learning loss from the pandemic. Teachers face unbelievable challenges in the classroom as the wider culture fails to support (and often undermines) the social and emotional wellness of kids. Yet we should not use computers to automate instruction and to provide a classroom management strategy.
Mission Hill School was not a perfect institution, but it focused on a much wider range of child learning with great results for many of its students. It was also the only public elementary school in the district where children could creatively use their gifts independently of a test score.
An Imagined School
“If you could create your own school, what would it be?” I asked Selma.
“A magic school. Instead of English, you would learn to dive into books and become one with the character.”
“Oooh. And what would your perfect school here on earth look like?”
“It would be focused on kids being able to tell their own stories,” she replied.
Mission Hill School gave Selma a sense of belonging, connected her to nature, antiquity, and social justice movements, and helped her to discover her gift and voice as a writer. We cannot bring the school back or change the mistakes of the past, but together we can change education for all students in the present, so that, for future generations, their educational experiences will be a past worth having.
Notes
- 1.
Sizer wrote the Horace trilogies: Hoarce’s Compromise, Horace’s School, and Horace’s Hope. He was also the co-founder with me of the Coalition of Essential schools (http://essentialschools.org/).
- 2.
- 3.
Dewy used the phrae “Habits of Mind,” but he doesn’t really ever describe in detail. We saw Habits of Mind guiding principles for all students in all subjects. They should be short and few. I saw them as habits of democracy and a way of describing what “using one’s mind well” meant. Ted Sizer and the Coalition of Essential Schools had coined that phrase.
- 4.
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System; https://www.mass.gov/parents-guide-to-the-mcas#:~:text=Massachusetts%20Comprehensive%20Assessment%20System%20(MCAS,and%20where%20they%20need%20help.
Reference
Madigan, S. (2019). Association between screen time and children’s performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA Pediatrics. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2722666
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Lewis, C.S., Lewis, S., Meier, D. (2024). Mission Hill School: Fostering Creative Storytelling Through Democratic Learning. In: Nathan, L.F., Mendonca, J.F., Rojas Ayala, G. (eds) Designing Democratic Schools and Learning Environments. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-46297-9_19
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