Woodland is a k-6 neighborhood elementary school located in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts. Roughly 480 students attend Woodland with 62% of students identifying as English Language Learners. Below is more in-depth demographic information extrapolated from the District Analysis Tool on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website.
Woodland's strategies
Woodland utilizes Leah Kuypers’s Zones of Regulation curriculum for behavior management. This curriculum aids students in developing executive function and emotional regulation skills.
My history with Woodland
When I first walked through the doors of Woodland Academy nearly five years ago at 18 years old. I volunteered to lead a Girl Scout Troop after school with other Clark Students. For three years, I continued to spend time every Friday after school with the same group of smiling girls. When the pandemic hit, I stayed in touch with the girls and we continued to meet over Zoom until August 2021. During this time, I developed close relationships with the girls’ families, giving me a window into the Woodland Community.
In the fall of 2019, I had the opportunity to observe my now mentor teacher’s third-grade classroom once a week for the semester. During this time, I got to know my mentor, Jill. Jill was kind enough to sit down with me and talk honestly about her experiences as an urban educator and why she chose this profession.
When I returned to Woodland as an MAT, I was overjoyed to recognize kids from my old troop. The little kindergarteners and first graders I met in 2019 grew up to be grown up 4th and 5th graders. During dismissal duty, I still run into and chat with caregivers and chat about how grown up their kids are.