Band Placements: Moving Beyond “Moving Up”

It’s that time of year again—when we all, kids and adults alike, get excited about all things back-to-school. At many schools, finding out what homeroom class a child gets placed in is central to the experience. At Long-View, we don’t have “homeroom classes”; instead, we have mixed-age level “bands” that we work to shape into a learning community.

Here, on the first day of school, children find out their band placement in an unceremonious procedure: we simply read out names and tell children which room to go to. Once arrived in that room, we reveal the name of the band (usually named for a color), and rather than placing emphasis on which band the child is in, we emphasize the responsibility of the individuals and the group to create the kinds of growth and learning opportunities they want for the year.

Though it’s not our intent, we inevitably hear students talk about “moving up a band.” It’s natural—most school systems (and many extracurriculars, like sports) structure advancement as a ladder, with clear steps up and down. But that framework doesn’t really capture how growth works here….

generalLisa ZapalacAugust 18, 2025Long-View Micro Schoolbands, learning, learning community

Learning How To Learn

Like other teachers and learners all over the country, we are adjusting to the rhythms of a new school year at Long-View and finding our way in new iterations of our learning community. As discussed in many of our posts, including this one from last spring, the idea of “learning community” is integral to the way we do school at Long-View.

These ideas may feel a bit foreign to many learners and even parents or teachers, since many of us (likely) were educated in classrooms that engaged in very traditional, behavioristic pedagogy. As adults who want to help children further contemplate these ideas, we might ask questions such as:

What are you realizing you might do differently to increase your own learning? What is different about a class that functions as a “learning community”? Learning is messy and hard work…what are you realizing is important to do in order to increase learning for yourself and others?

It is quite a journey for most kids to fully understand the ideas behind these questions. At Long-View, new learners get a lot of support from their peers who have been at our school for multiple years....

generalLisa ZapalacAugust 29, 2024Long-View Micro Schoolnew year, learning, community, drive your learning

Intellectual Fearlessness in Math

Early in the year, Mr. Mann brought a challenging concept to Math Block in Sage and Crimson Bands. It wasn’t exclusively a math concept, but an invitation to think differently about risk-taking. What does it mean to be intellectually fearless?

The phrase "intellectual fearlessness” comes from the book Thinking, Fast and Slow, by psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman. When Mr. Mann introduced the concept, learners recognized fearlessness as a sort of bravery that, to the observer, presents as a lack of fear. They observed that while a person might have the experience of feeling afraid but taking action anyway, that same person might seem “fearless” to others.

Sage and Crimson learners also grappled with the term “intellectual,” which they defined as “of or relating to the mind.” They connected the attribute with learning and conjectured that “the growth of the mind is learning.” One learner posited that intellectual fearlessness was simply “the willingness to learn.”

Ideas kept building as another young learner suggested that being intellectually fearless would include being vulnerable….

Artifact Portfolios: Reports of Progress

Currently our teaching team is in the midst of one of the most reflective, collaborative, and important processes we undertake throughout the year: we are writing our learners’ “Artifact Portfolios.” We don’t give grades. We don’t issue a simple report card every six weeks. We don’t simply provide parents with general comments on their child’s progress. Instead, twice a year our teaching team works together to craft a lengthy narrative report on each child, which is captured in a portfolio-style layout that is positioned around “artifacts” of the child’s work. Artifacts are captured throughout the semester and take the form of photos, screenshots, excerpts of writing, short videos, and transcripts and most of the time are captured through the regular, every day work cycle, and not necessarily just through more high-stakes assessments or on-demand activities.

Remaining true to our learner-centered identity, the goal of the Artifact Portfolio is to report on the hard work of learning….

Let’s Go! It’s Time To Get Back To Learning

School is back in session, and here at Long-View we have more than happily settled back into our learning routines. After a summer filled with research on health guidelines, the innovations schools across the world are implementing, and the complexities of both remote learning and in-person learning, we are relieved to have found a sense of normalcy even in just the two weeks we’ve been back together….

What Makes Long-View Different?

With admissions season gearing up, we are interacting daily with many parents carefully thinking about which school will be best for their children, for their family. We find that a great starting point is to get to know what makes a school unique.

Long-View is very purposefully designed differently than other area schools. We aren't trying to check the box of being all things to all families. We aren't trying to impress you with a huge facility or a list of course offerings that trumps the next school. You won't see any worksheets at Long-View and we don't assign homework.

Long-View is a great fit for families who want a rigorous academic program but are seeking a school that thinks differently about learning. We value depth over breadth...

GeneralLisa ZapalacJanuary 15, 2017Long-View Micro Schoollearning, admissions, design

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