My favorite part of the morning is greeting students at the front door, just as they come off the bus. It is an important transition in their day, and it gives me a chance to check in on each student. Some days, they are connected and ready to learn; other days, they may feel anxious, sad, or just “off.” Either way, our naturalistic teaching approach meets them where they are.

Unlike other behavioral approaches, naturalistic teaching emphasizes a child’s interests. It relies on natural activities, natural rewards, and natural consequences. Naturalistic teaching can help decrease problem behavior, and improve generalization –core challenges for our students.

Throughout the day, teachers introduce structured lessons at the student’s own pace. Rather than fueling a behavioral encounter by forcing a particular lesson plan, they work with the student until they are ready to learn. Using high-interest activities and hands-on learning, teachers introduce challenging academic concepts, like physics and math. Students learn-by-doing. They have fun.

After all we have been through, we owe it to ourselves and our students to make sure learning is fun again.

Best regards,
Brian Detlefsen, Director