What We Believe
We believe that children learn best through a developmentally appropriate curriculum that builds on their natural curiosity about the world. The teacher guides the student in that process: facilitating hands-on projects, promoting collaboration among students, and prompting even the youngest students to reflect deeply on their classroom work. For teachers to fulfill that role, they must be attuned to students' individual needs and learning styles, and continually benefit from professional development opportunities.
While a solid foundation in core academic disciplines is essential, we also believe that students' long term well-being, and their capacity to contribute to our society and world, depend crucially on their social and emotional development as well. Students must learn how to interact with others: how to listen, how to be sensitive to others' needs and respectful of their perspectives, and how to express their own views, even when it is difficult to do so. Students must establish a healthy self-conception as well as a sense of connection to others and to the broader world. This developmental journey spans a lifetime, to be sure, but the foundation begins during the earliest school years. The Phillips Brooks School prepares students for lifelong learning and growth in our diverse and ever changing world.