Yale University Claire's classroom is in a small community school in West Westminster, Vermont. A brief prologue by small-town chronicler Garrison Keillor introduces this rural setting, and the audience is immediately dropped into the opening of a new school year. What follows is a patient, intimate portrait of a model primary educator and her indelible imprint on multiple generations of learners in this close-knit community. Claire's class brings together both first and second grade students in a common instructional space, a modern successor to the one-room schoolhouse. Yet this is not your grandmother's hardwood floors and evenly spaced rows of desks, but an open exploratory room and curriculum which tackles both literacy and diversity, cultural competency, and conflict resolution.
Students even choose their own desks.
Claire describes herself as a class coordinator and emphasizes the potential of students to learn from one another. There is nothing arbitrary or wasted in Claire's sparse teaching style. Her actions often speak louder than her words. Ultimately, the students themselves construct the culture in the classroom, including both a model temple, dress and murals. Parents are welcomed in the School environment and testify to Claire's uncanny ability to conscript them into being part of a lesson or activity.