I am an early childhood professional who has been an Overfield parent for over 10 years. My 3 oldest daughters are alumni and my youngest is a current student. The school has classes for children 18 months through Kindergarten. I first discovered Overfield over 11 years ago when I was working on my degree in Early Childhood. One of my professors was, at the time, the director at Overfield and took our class there on a tour. I fell in love and immediately knew that I wanted my daughter (then 3) to attend. The following Spring, I chose Overfield as my student teaching location and that fall, enrolled my daughter. It has been an amazing journey to be a part of the Overfield community, especially for such a long period of time. I've been a witness as the school has grown and evolved. I've seen so many families come through the school. The school is not just a place where we send our children for a few hours a day. It has become our community. It's hard to believe that one day, our time as Overfield parents will be over. It is always heart wrenching to send each one off to first grade after they graduate from Overfield kindergarten. Our daughters have become lovers of learning, of art and of nature. Overfield teaches them HOW to learn, not WHAT to learn. It is the only school I have ever been associated with that truly builds their entire curriculum around the children's interests. They get all the academics - math, science, literacy, but not by the typical flashcard/worksheet model. That's not how children learn. Children learn when they are investigating something of interest and are naturally drawn to read about it, write about it, draw it, examine it, and so on. I can't say enough about this school. My older daughters still miss it. Fortunately, they are still young enough to come back for summer camp every year, through age 10!
The youngest of our four children recently finished kindergarten at Overfield. It was an emotional time for me, as I reflected on this school that has been such a central part of our lives for the past ten years.
I heard the kindergarten teacher say at the graduation how it was incredible that these five year old children had spent four of those years at Overfield, and it made me think about how I have spent ten years, or a quarter of MY life with this school!
Over those ten years (16 classes!), Overfield provided our children with an amazing foundation. They learned to problem solve, to appreciate the natural world, and to highly value themselves and other people.
My husband and I also learned a lot. It was our first experience in education for our children, and it taught us what to expect, to look for, and to insist upon as they moved on in their education. We learned a lot about parenting and what our children were capable of from a very young age. It was our first time to really immerse ourselves in volunteering, and for me it was my first experience serving on a Board of Trustees.
For the past ten years, Overfield has been a home away from home for our family, and we will truly miss everything about our experience and this incredible community. We intend to continue to support and remain involved in any way that we can, to help ensure the Overfield experience is available to many future families!
My children to this day remember Overfield with such love.. It's a family. A family who wants your children to create and explore all they can. Overfield wants to learn who your child is and help them learn how to be a kind friend. Thank you Overfield for helping me make my kids who they are today.
We enrolled our child in The Overfield School as a toddler and she continued throughout Kindergarten. We knew right away that Overfield was a great fit for her. They encourage the students to ask questions, finding out what they are curious about and then create project based curriculum around their interests. It takes learning to a whole new level. I remember in the classroom there was a bee in the windowsill and the students were all huddled around it curiously asking tons of questions (it was not alive). This prompted the teachers to design an entire project around bees. This project was so detailed and fun for the students because they were so involved in exploring and learning. It included learning about the life cycles of bees, a visit from a beekeeper, art was incorporated, music as well, how honey is made, gardens that attract bees, all the questions the students asked turned into a deeper exploration of science, math, horticulture and the arts all because of 1 little bee laying on a windowsill. Instead of picking it up and tossing it away they created little researchers and scientists. Most of all they instilled in the students that the questions they have are valid and are worthy of deeper exploration. This is just 1 example I'm sharing but there were hundreds more just like this throughout the years at Overfield. My child is a hands on learner, curious about the world, knows how to solve problems on her own and excited about learning. I know that Overfield gave her the foundation and confidence to become a lifelong learner.