Igniting Ideas at Campfire

At Long-View, our days begin not with the ringing of a school bell, but with the resonant hum of a singing bowl. Teachers, learners, and visitors gather around an (unignited) campfire log, and as the sound of the singing bowl fades slowly to silence, we settle ourselves in for a rich day of learning.

This ritual, which we call “Campfire,” is not just circle time or show-and-tell, but an intellectually rigorous start to every day. We begin by greeting each member of the community with the Zulu word Sawubona, which means “I see you.” Each person responds, “Sikhona,” meaning “I am here.” But don’t be mistaken--this is not just a silly way of taking attendance. When our learners say they are here, they mean it in every sense of the phrase. Not only are they physically and intellectually present, but they are here for each other as a community of thinkers and problem-solvers….

GeneralLisa ZapalacOctober 1, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolcampfire, birthdays, social studies, current events

Summer Remodel and Expansion Brings Opportunity

It’s the start of a new school year at Long-View and things feel familiar, but at the same time, everything looks a bit different. Summertime was busy with a remodel of new space we recently acquired. We pulled out walls, re-thought the flow between rooms, and added our signature décor that looks more akin to a creative work space than an elementary and middle school, all in preparation for a larger student community and faculty team.

Getting new spaces ready for our expanded community meant another opportunity to continue to deepen our thinking about how space affects learning and how design of space can positively influence our community….

GeneralLisa ZapalacAugust 29, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolremodel, culture, work spaces, collaboration, new year

Tailgate: Kicking Off Community Building

Building community is at the heart of our work at Long-View. We believe learning is accelerated through meaningful interactions with others. Furthermore, we believe families should be involved in creating a culture of learning that blurs the lines of “school learning” and outside learning. We cannot achieve that end if we do not involve families in developing meaningful relationships with us (the school and staff) and with each other. Thus, to begin and reconnect those relationships, we kick off each school year with an event we call the Parent Tailgate….

GeneralLisa ZapalacAugust 25, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolcommunity, parents, tailgate, back to school

What Our Girls Deserve

Recently, we were reflecting on the progress of one of our students, a girl who is 8-years-old. We began thinking about several other girls at Long-View, and how much each one had transformed during her time at the school. This led us to think back on how each presented as she arrived. For a handful, this was a few months back, and for others was a year or more ago. Each girl had changed in her own way and transformed into an active, vocal, and passionate learner within our classrooms. Each has strong intellectual engagement, tenacity, and an inner strength that raises us all up.

The thing is, if these girls weren’t at Long-View, you’d probably see them meeting requirements and getting by, but the most you’d have to say about each is “she’s fine.” However, “She’s fine” is the problem for so many girls in elementary and middle schools....

GeneralLisa ZapalacJanuary 14, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolgirls

A Workshop on Game Theory Introduces Us to Mathematical Modeling

With just a few days of the school year under our belts, we had a guest stop by Long-View and take us through a workshop on a very high level topic: Game Theory.

Dr. James Spindler is a professor at UT in both the business school and law school and holds both a JD and a PhD in Economics. He came to teach us about economics and more specifically, game theory, which is the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation and is used in economics, as well as other disciplines....

GeneralLisa ZapalacAugust 30, 2017Long-View Micro Schoolgame theory, mathematics, Dr. Spindler, UT

Long-View + the number lab: Our Business Model

It’s quiet at Long-View with the kids out for summer break, but it is actually a time of intense activity for our teaching team. This is the busiest part of the year for our other business venture, the number lab, which is concentrated on supporting educators and schools working to raise the level of their math instruction. Our work:

focuses on the task of building math instruction so as to privilege advanced conceptual mathematical understanding in order to facilitate reasoning;
focuses on attempts to design innovative classroom practices that bring the practice of knowing mathematics in school closer to what it means to know mathematics within the discipline.

Why School Schedules Don't Work

I’ve never met a parent who didn’t have high expectations for his or her child’s school.

First, we expect that school will prepare our children for whatever the next step is. If they’re in first grade, they’ll end the year ready for second grade, and so on through college, employment, and successful adult life.

We expect schools to provide age-appropriate physical education, plus a grounding in the arts, music, and a foreign language.

We also expect that school will help our children learn how to navigate social situations like cliques or favoritism. We hope that our children’s schools will help them become good people.

And we hope our child will fall in love with learning at school…

GeneralLisa ZapalacMarch 20, 2017Long-View Micro Schoolschool schedules, block, deep learning

What Makes Long-View Different?

With admissions season gearing up, we are interacting daily with many parents carefully thinking about which school will be best for their children, for their family. We find that a great starting point is to get to know what makes a school unique.

Long-View is very purposefully designed differently than other area schools. We aren't trying to check the box of being all things to all families. We aren't trying to impress you with a huge facility or a list of course offerings that trumps the next school. You won't see any worksheets at Long-View and we don't assign homework.

Long-View is a great fit for families who want a rigorous academic program but are seeking a school that thinks differently about learning. We value depth over breadth...

GeneralLisa ZapalacJanuary 15, 2017Long-View Micro Schoollearning, admissions, design

Ted Dintersmith, Executive Producer of Most Likely to Succeed, Visits Long-View

On February 5th, Long-View collaborated with the Thinkery and with WonderLab to bring the acclaimed edu-documentary, Most Likely to Succeed, to Austin. The two film screenings we hosted at Alamo Drafthouse were sold out as an enthusiastic group of 400 Austinites came to learn more about transformation in schools and to hear directly from the Executive Producer of the film, Ted Dintersmith….

Long-View Micro School Expands

Great news! We extended our lease at our current location and will more than double our usable space for the 2016-17 school year. Long-View is officially expanding, with a goal of being able to serve 20-24 students next year, or two cohorts of 10-12 students….

GeneralLisa ZapalacJanuary 6, 2016Long-View Micro Schoolgrowing, Long-View

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