Reacting to the Past challenges students to analyze historical sources and develop problem-solving skills. To play their roles well, students have to dive deep into original material from the period we’re studying. They’re responsible for interpreting the sources provided in the gamebook and figuring out how their character would act ..read more

Teaching students to be wise seekers, consumers, and evaluators of information is increasingly important. This is something we focus on regularly at The Downtown School. Within our core competency of learning how to learn, we ask students to employ available tools and resources ..read more

A high-school interview can be an exercise in developing a lifelong skill that can have the immediate result of getting you into a school but also landing the dream job you don’t even know you want yet ..read more

To get students more comfortable sharing their opinions, we create a classroom space that lets everyone know that they won’t be judged for playing with ideas. They are free to change their minds. Most importantly, the events, philosophies, and jurisprudence provide foundations for their opinions. This is what good citizenship requires: knowledge, an ability to hear ideas with which you disagree, and a willingness to evolve ..read more

Psychologists Alex Jordan and Ben Lovett cite several meta analyses that prove that, while test anxiety is certainly uncomfortable to those who experience it, it actually does not directly impact performance. In other words, test anxiety itself does not cause a student to perform poorly.    ..read more

By Monica Gartman RPG-inspired artwork by Bea B. ('27) While driving to work one morning, I tuned in to NPR and caught an interview celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. The guest, NPR critic Glen Weldon, recounted his early experiences with the game in the 1970s; and what stuck with me most was how as an adolescent Weldon was able to create a character that resonated with a part of his identity he was just beginning to explore. My own experience with D&D is strictly vicarious, from seeing my teenaged younger brother wage campaigns with friends in middle school and ..read more

Learning something new is like climbing a mountain, and the tallest, most daunting mountains offer the most sublime summit experiences. Yet, in the words of G.K. Chesterton, “towers are not tall unless we look up at them ..read more

As we navigate this school year together, remember that every challenge is an opportunity to grow. Support one another, trust in your abilities, and don’t let self-imposed limitations hold you back. Let’s step outside our comfort zones and reach new heights together ..read more

In settling into my new classroom, I do hope that students will not only find the space one of learning and engagement, but that they will feel a certain way when they enter: curiosity, excitement, a sense of discovery, and, perhaps, a call to adventure ..read more

The Downtown School is excited to introduce our latest initiative to equip students with the essential skills for the digital age. Starting this fall, our students will have access to the AWS Academy curriculum—a cloud computing program developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) experts ..read more