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| May 05, 2024 |
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General News: Educational Choices at Hudson Hills Academy
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| A teacher discusses the elements of a story with students. |
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| This boy worked on math problems by himself on a floor mat. |
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| Pre-schoolers are already learning to spell their names. |
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| One of two classrooms for pre-school students. |
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| Some of the older students get input from a teacher on their project. Music by Mozart was playing in the background as part of their preparation for a trip to the opera later this year. |
September 26, 2010
Parents who are looking for an alternative to public school education for their children are discovering a new school in New Windsor that has blossomed from just 15 students last year to more than 75 today. In September, the Hudson Hills Academy moved into its new facility on Little Britain Road where students from pre-k through sixth grade are taught a mix of education styles with a foundation of Montessori principles complemented by the Calvert curriculum.
Director Asma Siddiqi started the school in 2009 after she spent a year home schooling her daughter with the help of a teacher who is now the head of curriculum at Hudson Hills Academy, Cathy Sachse. She and Sachse came to know other parents interested in an alternative form of education and the idea for the school was born.
School Offers a Child-Friendly Environment
Siddiqi said that she had wanted to be an educator since she was a child in England and, even though she has a business degree, her passion has always been in educating young minds.
“When my son was 2 years old, I researched schools and fell in love with Montessori philosophy,” Siddiqi said in a recent interview. “It is a very child –friendly environment, with each child working at his or her own pace.”
A tour of the new school, which took over the space from the Country Day School that closed last year, reveals much about the educational philosophy of Hudson Hills. Students study in large, airy classrooms where they choose the projects that they want to work on, either alone or in small groups. A teacher serves more as a guide to help the students come away with key concepts rather than directing a full-day curriculum.
Tactile Tools for Learning in Each Classroom
The classroom for all students, from the 3- and 4-year-old pre-schoolers to the older groups, have many of the basic tools for learning – long strands of beads for mathematical concepts or letters for making words. As the children move up, they are familiar with the tools and can apply them to ever more challenging concepts. A teacher:student ratio of 8:1 means that a teacher is always nearby when needed while let the students self-direct their study.
In one primary grade classroom, a student worked on a mat he had rolled onto the floor with a box filled with math equations while next to him four students sat with a teacher discussing the elements of an essay on Paul Revere, In the back of the room a student sat at the snack table where a bowl of fruit, supplied by parents on a rotating basis, was always available.
Focus on Developing Social Skills
Hudson Hills also fosters social skills with a peace area where children who disagree can go to work things out. If a student feels they need to talk about something that another student said that bothered him or her, the student offers a flower to the other child, an invitation to talk about the feelings.
With music lessons, sports and an art teacher, Siddiqi says that she is proud of their accomplishments at this stage. “Our goal is to make the students confident,” she said, “and to foster a love of learning for life.”
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