Wint enjoying work as Meadow Brook's gifted and talented teacher

Date: 2/8/2010

Feb. 8, 2010

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



EAST LONGMEADOW -- Earlier this year, Meadow Brook School welcomed Faith Wint as its new teacher for its gifted and talented program. Wint recently spoke with Reminder Publications about how her first year with East Longmeadow's littlest students has been going.

Wint, a resident of Longmeadow, previously taught at Longmeadow Montessori School and at Academy Hill in Springfield. She earned her master's in child study from Tufts University and a doctorate in curriculum and teaching from UMass.

"Judy [Fletcher, principal of Meadow Brook] presented me with an opportunity [to teach at the school], and it was a fantastic one. I grabbed it," Wint said. "It really gives me the opportunity to use my training."

That training involves teaching differentiated curriculum to 20 different classrooms of first and second graders, spending one hour in each classroom a week.

Wint utilizes the Reggio Emilia Approach, a program based on the principles of respect, responsibility and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.

"I teach the students based on their interests, which is an opportunity you don't usually get in public schools," Wint explained.

"At this level, the gifted and talented program uses a push-in model instead of a pull-out one," Fletcher said. "Every first and second grader here is in the program. It gives us the opportunity to find out what really excites the little kids and what they know and they know a lot."

Wint and her students are currently wrapping up an architecture lesson that tied into art and history as well. Students learned about Egyptian, Greek and Roman architecture and are now learning about the Middle Ages. They built their own pyramids using marshmallows and toothpicks when learning about the architecture of Egypt and recently built skyscrapers out of paper cups.

Because the gifted and talented program focuses on differentiated learning, students were allowed to complete an assignment in a way that appealed to them the most. Wint explained that they were all castle builders and gave them a list of specifications the owner of the castle wanted. The students then could draw the castle, build a model castle, or complete puzzles or read books on castles, all while listening to music from medieval times.

These lessons will tie into what Wint will be teaching next, which will be about using recycled materials to build things and then about the environment.

"I don't plan too far ahead because I like to stop and listen to what the students are interested in," Wint said.

"It's amazing to watch the kids [as they work with Wint]," Fletcher commented. "They're excited to tell her new things."

Wint added that a big part of what she does is parent involvement and she noted that she is always available to parents. She also writes a monthly newsletter that is posted on Meadow Brook's Web site, www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/MeadowBrook/.