Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/93284
Opposite page: A student shows off the eighth grade family history project. Lessons in self-discovery What makes Latin feel like home? For many students, it's the bond they form with their teachers. Every aspect of the Latin experience forges and strengthens that relationship, from classroom time to special projects and conferences to extracurricular activities, theater performances and sports. The close relationships between students and teachers are further enriched through a curriculum that encourages and inspires students to learn about themselves and their immediate world – their families and their traditions, heritage and culture. Through developmentally appropriate and innovative lesson plans and hands-on projects, teachers guide students on this journey of self-discovery. In the lower school, the study of self gradually expands from learning about the individual, to the family, to the wider community. The conversation begins during the earliest days of junior kindergarten, when students are encouraged to communicate about themselves, their homes and their families. In the winter, the JK team uses the holiday season to build on the discussion by exploring family holiday traditions and beliefs. "This is a time for our students to experience excitement and pride in their families and their histories as they share parts of their lives with their classmates," said junior kindergarten teacher Maura McCahill. They also learn about their classmates' traditions, which may be wholly unfamiliar. Acknowledging and celebrating those differences is key to adopting an empathic worldview, McCahill said. Junior kindergarten students celebrating their own and each other's family traditions. "This is a time for our students to experience excitement and pride in their families and their histories as they share parts of their lives with their classmates." – Maura McCahill Latin School of Chicago 31