Dilworth is an urban public elementary school in the Pittsburgh neighborhood East Liberty. Upon arrival, I was reminded of my childhood school- Pittsburgh Greenfield (Pittsburgh Public Schools has added "Pittsburgh" to the front of every school name). It is a beautiful, old building with some parking, but visitors have to find a spot on one of the surrounding streets, since the school, play area, and garden takes up an entire city block.
As you enter the building, you are greeted by a very old-school entrance, a sign, and two mosaics that represent the school and the surrounding area.
I came in toward the end of the school day, with about an hour left, and heard fantastic music being played from the open-door auditorium that was straight ahead. There was no audience, this was just something that the kids were working on. It was great to see and hear students who were playing music, and a school that not only tolerated it, but also welcomed it with open arms.
Looking around, it was great to see flags hung from the ceiling of various nations. As my mom walked me around the building, she pointed out that the flags were those of the students and teachers that were at that school. It was so nice to see the school teaching how to be inclusive of everyone! I also noticed that all of the students were well-dressed in their school uniforms. Every shirt was tucked in, every shoe was tied, and the students showed respect toward themselves as they walked through the halls.
Walking up the stairs was another delight. My eye was immediately pulled to the beautiful stained-glass windows, which my mom told me were done by a community members a few years earlier. As I went up the stairs to take a closer look, I saw the creative way to help memorize multiplication facts implemented by the school's teachers. Each stair had a different fact on it, which is such an easy way to give students more exposure.
The school was incredibly beautiful, but some other really cool things I saw on my visit were:
1. Students were engaged in every classroom I looked in
2. Teachers were incredibly flexible to students. They were catering to the student wants and needs, and not the other way around
3. Both students and teachers seemed very proud of the school they went to
4. The last part of the day was devoted to student choice. The students got to choose a special interest and then got to take part in it, solely because they were interested in it
5. Teachers were clearly trusted to do with their students what they knew was the best strategies for their own students
I first went to Pittsburgh Public Schools as a kindergartener two decades ago. I was incredibly impressed with what I saw 20 years later. I highly recommend going to see other schools, districts, and settings to other teachers, this was a wonderful experience. Hats off to Pittsburgh Dilworth Elementary School!
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