Lincoln Options Elementary School

Lincoln elementary helped shape who I am as a person. I attended there in the 90s, and the education I received there helped unlock my thirst for knowledge. Lincoln teaches more than just dates, numbers and words, they really focus on inspiring children to become engaged in their own education. It is not something that is easy to describe, but it is way of seeing all subjects (history, math, art, literature, physical education) as being thoroughly interconnected.

For instance, one day we did an activity to teach how an ecosystem functions. We were brought out to the playground where the teacher had scattered popcorn all across the field an jungle gym. Our class was divided into mayflies(lots) , frogs (a few) and hawks (1-2 kids). Each child was given a plastic bag with a line on it, showing how much popcorn they needed to gather to stay healthy. When frogs nabbed a mayfly, they took all their popcorn, same with hawks nabbing a frog.

So, it was melding of freeze tag (kids running around), science education (understanding how energy flows through an ecosystem) and they even included a moral lesson. Mayflies could rest on the jungle gym, safe from any predators (it was explained as a rock in the pond). Halfway through the event, the teacher walks over and says "I'm a curious human, I've moved this rock, it is no longer safe for mayflies!" and all the kids scatter.

Afterwards, we had a brief discussion about all these things, and even as a 2nd grader, I could understand all the concepts involved and remember them to this day.