Thrilled to Work at The Downtown School
By Mari O’Meara
I often assert to my teacher friends that The Downtown School is what is right in American education today. Before joining DTS, I had taught for 20 years. Since joining The Downtown School, my passion and enthusiasm for teaching and education have been reinvigorated. Some of the factors I have personally found refreshing include the following:
Size: At my previous school, typical class sizes neared 40. At The Downtown School, individual classes are capped at 20. This allows for a more meaningful and personalized learning experience for both the students and the teacher. In addition, as an English teacher, the load of essay grading is considerably more manageable, allowing my students to gain more practice and opportunities for feedback in the development of their writing.
Empowerment: At The Downtown School, both students and teachers are empowered. Teachers are allowed the autonomy to create a rigorous curriculum focused on strong connections between content and real-world application; whereas I previously had less room for curricular innovation. With the opportunity to develop a program of study that is informed by the current student population, it is clear that the relevance of the curriculum motivates, excites, and engages students in their academics.
Furthermore, teachers at The Downtown School are invited to take on administrative roles as part of the distributive leadership model. Teacher voice has a significant impact on the culture, design, and efficacy of the school. The distributive leadership model allows for nimble and effective decision-making.
Admissions and Cost: Admissions processes and cost can deter many families from attending an independent school; however, I would argue that the admissions process is a valuable experience for both students and parents. As co-director of Admissions at The Downtown School, I feel that the admissions process--an application with various components and an interview--is a valuable tool in a student’s educational development that prepares families for what to expect in the college admissions process. The Downtown School was founded to be a more financially accessible institution, tuition being half the price as other Seattle-area independent schools, and, with DTS’s ample financial aid endowment, aid is available to any families who qualify, thus making the school as accessible as many other school options.
It is these and many other reasons that I am thrilled to be working at The Downtown School.