From Another Point of View

For the seven pairs of teachers and students profiled here, small shifts in perspective — from teacher to student . . . learner to subject matter . . . athlete to coach — can entirely transform an experience. For 3-year-old Burke Kuskin, his WOW science experiments are “so much fun,” and he loves seeing his teacher Ms. Buettin smile. For Ms. Buettin, those same experiments are a chance for Burke and her other WOW students to work on their fine motor skills as they begin a 15-year journey of STEM education at The Benjamin School. And her smile? It’s an involuntary reaction to the joy she gets from shaping the lives of our smallest Buccaneers.

Here are the perspectives of 7 students and their teachers at The Benjamin School.

Burke Kuskin — WOW Student

“I love my class. I love my friends. I love the puzzles and science projects we do. My favorite thing about Ms. Buettin is when she smiles.”

Kate Buettin — WOW Teacher

“Students in WOW are learning everything from basic social skills to French, Spanish and Mandarin. They’re learning to manage their emotions and practice conflict resolution, while working both collaboratively and independently. At this age, the children learn best by doing, which allows for plenty of hands-on experiments and lessons. They are observing, engaging their senses and making discoveries every day! All of our experiments are interdisciplinary and include the use of fine motor skills, math, science and art. The children are also learning critical thinking skills by asking “how, what and why” questions, as well as listening to and following directions. These basic but important life skills are laying the foundation for successful, well-rounded children. All of this magic takes place in a supportive and loving environment.”

Carson Lowe — Grade 3 Student

“I love using my iPad for writing assignments because it’s fun, it teachesme how to type, and it makes me think.”

Alyssa Feck — Grade 3 Teacher

“In third grade, we use iPads to write personal narratives. We are working through the writing process, and at this stage, I can model how to revise and edit a piece and give my students notes on how to improve their own writing. The ability to use multiple devices to collaborate on the same piece allows students to feel ownership and pride over their work, and gives me the ability to guide them along the way.”

Brooke Buchbinder — Grade 5 Student

“I love Greek myths because they are so exciting to read, and I always want to know more. Even though we are only in fifth grade, we are reading and memorizing poems by Shakespeare and other famous poets. Mrs. Hogan does such a wonderful job of keeping us engaged in what we are learning. She does this by creating fun worksheets and games for us to play.”

Joanna Hogan — Grade 5 Teacher

“Understanding, memorizing and reciting good poetry is important for many reasons: development of formal oral presentation skills, development of memorization techniques, and appreciation of great literature through poetry masterpieces, are but a few.

“Mythology and fifth graders are made for each other. In Language Arts Enrichment, we introduce students to the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, especially their myths that form the basis of our Western culture. Foundations are set for accelerated learning for the rest of an academic career, not to mention life itself!

“This course is unique to TBS. I have a great sense of gratitude for the foresight of the administration and parents in letting it happen.”

Finlay Allen — Grade 7 Student

“I really liked doing the mitosis stop-motion movie because it was really unique. I enjoy projects that combine technology and creative thinking. I think this is a great project to help me study for a big exam like the one coming up. I decided to go outside the box and bring in a camera and lots of different materials to make my movie unique. I also created the text on the computer to make it easier to read and follow along with.”

Stephanie Oster — Middle School Science Department Chair

“The purpose of the Stop-Motion Cell Cycle movie assignment was to put a creative spin on cellular division. I find that mixing technology, art, research and the required subject matter, allows for students to have choices that work for them. This also encourages strong collaborative work teams and highlights different strengths for each group member. Finlay has totally embraced the science curriculum this year, giving 100 percent of himself. The part that has impressed me the most is that he has advocated to put his own personal spin on assignments and projects!”

Joie Rodin — Grade 8 Student

“In my Spanish class with Mr. Maddox, one of the topics we have been learning about this quarter is food. Mr. Maddox loves incorporating the material we are learning with different Spanish-speaking cultures. One of the ways in which we incorporated food with the real world is when we watched different Spanish cooking shows such as ‘Delicioso,’ a television show starring Ingrid Hoffmann. I loved watching the show because I feel that you learn much more when you learn outside of the ordinary note-taking style.”

Chuck Maddox — Middle School Academic Dean and Spanish Teacher

“Food is one of the best ways to connect with a different culture. To help students develop an appreciation for Latin American cuisine, we watched an episode of Ingrid Hoffmann, a well-known television cooking personality, prepare a meal. Then, we tweeted her to let her know we were practicing our food vocabulary and learning how to cook through her videos. She wrote back within a few hours to say how proud she is that we’re using her videos in class. I love incorporating real-world material into my classroom to keep class enjoyable and engaging.”

Parker Haskin — Grade 11 Student

Committed to Tulane University for Baseball

“When I was looking at high schools to attend, Benjamin was an obvious choice for me given the reputation for both its academic and athletic programs. College athletics was something I always wanted to pursue, and I felt Benjamin was going to prepare me for the next level, not only as an athlete, but also as a student. This task has not been easy. However, through the support from everyone in the school, including my classmates, teachers, college counselors and coaches, specifically Coach Smith, I was able to accomplish my goal.

“My first season playing for Benjamin has left me with memories I’ll never forget. Our team had a great run last season, making it to the final four in state for baseball in 4-A, which was one of the most competitive levels for baseball this past year. As a new student, the group was super welcoming, and I have developed great friendships from wearing the Benjamin uniform.

“Our success was due in large part to Coach Smith, who not only made sure things ran smoothly, but also brought great energy to every practice and game. I developed a great relationship with Coach Smith, along with the other coaches throughout last season, and I look forward to another great year this year.”

Ryan Smith ’93 — Director of Athletics

“Our school culture allows coaches the ability to mentor and develop a respectful relationship with student-athletes at such a critical stage in their lives. As a graduate of The Benjamin School, I feel I have additional insight and experience into what it is like to be a student-athlete here.

“Parker is an exceptional studentathlete who transferred to Benjamin from the northeast prior to his junior year. Because I also transferred to Benjamin in ninth grade like Parker, and Parker had an FHSAA eligibility hearing on which the School and his family worked closely, I was able to support him. Parker is a pleasure to coach as he understands the student part of “student-athlete” comes first. He competes at such a high level and is a fierce contender on the baseball field. I am certain he is destined for great things at Tulane University — in the classroom and on the field.”

Dylan Shao — Grade 12 Student

“I am a student in the AP Studio 2D Design class. My concentration is exposing the troubles caused by electronic media. As society becomes more and more high-tech, I have found that people are gradually bound by technology or repeatedly fall into its entrapment. In my works, I try to express this reality and my own painterly imagination at the same time. To achieve this, I use color contrasts to make the painting look more realistic, and use some abstract marks to make the picture more layered. For example, in my new work, the background of neon colors evokes the modern sense of cyber lights, while some white shapes function as billboard signs. In the foreground, I drew a figure being hung by wires and struggling with himself. Just as insects fall prey to the web of spiders, he falls victim to the progress of the Internet.”

Sarah Davis ’05 – US Art Teacher

“This year, there are fourteen students taking the Collegeboard AP Studio 2D Design course with a material focus on drawing, painting, printmaking and collage. Dylan Shao is one of those students who continues to set the bar high each day through deep thought and hard work. At this level, the art students are expected to be self-directed and must demonstrate an ability to engage maturely in the artistic process. Regular critiques and class discussions assist the students in evaluating their artwork at an appropriate level of assessment. From my perspective, Dylan has been working on the sustained investigation portfolio in a manner similar to that of a professional artist. This semester, he has created six cohesive works of art that connect his personal ideas on the influence of technology to the form of his painting and drawing. He flushes out ideas in his sketchbook that reflect on his experience and background. He meets the demands of a robust, creative practice by showing up at the studio outside of class time on a daily basis, and maintains the highest level of craftsmanship in each work of art. He is able to clearly articulate the meaning and symbolism in each piece, particularly noted during a recent midterm presentation and critique of his work to the class.”