"Make schools fit kids," says Robin Lindsley, who teaches a multi-age classroom at Boise-Eliot Elementary School in Portland. Ms. Lindsley is a pioneer in mixed-age primary programs for the Portland area. She has used her classroom, comprised of six, seven and eight year old children, as a showcase and frequently lectured on the national circuit in an effort to educate others about developmentally appropriate education. Beyond the acknowledged pedagogical advantages of a curriculum that is tailored to each individual child, Ms. Lindsley supports this philosophy of education because it implies a fundamental respect for a child's needs and wishes. Ms. Lindsley is committed to all strategies and philosophies that will "make schools more humane." "Until more educators see themselves as child advocates and act as child advocates, she says, the culture will remain under-educated about children's well-being."
1965 Oregon College of Education, B.A.
