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More Comments, Letters, and Alumni News

Michael Shankman

Michael Shankman, Bixby alumni, is one of the featured artists in Southwest Art Magazine, Feb. 2006 (southwestart.com). The article about him is entitled, "San Fran Noir." The article opens, "Michael Shankman watches the streetlamps of San Francisco flicker to life . . . Every day as the world turns, he observes the way the beams of artificial and natural light meet in converging trajectories. 'As these sources of light intermingle, they elucidate a point of time and place that I and six billion others call home,' the precocious 26-year-old points out." Michael studied with Boulder-based illustrator, Alexy Pendle, beginning in 5th grade. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a combined socioeconomics, political science and mathematics degree. He is a founding member of an art collective - Million Fishes Art Collective - in San Francisco. Locally, Michael is represented by the Smith-Klein Gallery.

Lucas H.

. . . One of the more important skills I acquired was typing. At Casey we have to write papers and it has become an invaluable skill. The math taught (Bart you were great) was essential and I am in 7th grade with 8th grade honors math. Without Bixby I would most likely not be here. Recently I took the ACT and scored a composite score of 22. After consulting with officials at my school I have been allowed to skip a grade and go to high school next year! This would, again, most likely not be possible without Bixby. One last thing, Bixby's policy of not using standard grading systems is a great benefit. Without grades I didn't have to worry about missing something or losing points.

Thank you for an exquisite experience.

Nancy Berman

I had Hannah out really late last night, so I let her sleep in the morning. When she woke and saw the time, she asked why school was late. I told her that school started on time, but that we wanted to let her get extra sleep. She burst into tears and was very angry with us for not waking her earlier. This is not the first time Hannah has been upset about missing school! I don't know about you, but I never remember being unhappy about missing school in 3rd grade! I just wanted you to know that I'm thrilled to see how much Hannah loves being at Bixby.

Susan Lutz, ntur_grl@yahoo.com
Has a daughter, now in high school, who graduated from Bixby.

It is an amazing school. Teachers respect the children, their feelings, and their abilities. Consequently, the children respect the teachers, themselves, and their fellow students. I also like how children are stimulated to learn, not spoon-fed information.

Carl Howard, (303) 499-3208
Has two sons who attended Bixby, one recently graduated.

One of the many things I appreciated about Bixby was the mentoring that occurs between older and younger students. Instilling a spirit of helping and coaching the younger ones is part of the Bixby culture.

Susan Goodnature
Has twin boys in 2nd grade at Bixby.

Initially we enrolled our sons in separate schools. It wasn't long before we observed a significant difference in the way our boys were progressing academically and socially. We now have both sons at Bixby and are very pleased with their progress.

Drew Simon, drew@baydushsimon.com
Has 2 sons who are Bixby graduates, one daughter who is currently enrolled.

The small classrooms and low student-to-teacher ratio were a strong appeal when I chose Bixby for my children. It's extraordinary how well those teachers know your child.

Hannah Wanebo, hannahwanebo@hotmail.com Former student, now math teacher at Bixby.

Bart, (co-founder and math instructor) was the most influential teacher in my life. He never tried to tell us the 'right' way to solve a problem, but encouraged us to explore all possibilities. The emphasis was on keeping the 'big picture' in sight - not on memorizing formulas.

Miles Gerson, mgerson@mail.wesleyan.edu
College student and Bixby graduate.

Bixby is the best learning environment I have ever, or probably will ever, experience. It couldn't teach me everything about everything, but it did teach me how to learn.

The Old Mail Truck: One Alum's View

Janet Arnold

Good things endure.

I was a student at Bixby more than 35 years ago-back in the 1969-1970 timeframe--right after it opened on 30th Street in Boulder. The school was the brainchild of two enterprising and talented teachers who, believing that there was a better way to educate young people, created an environment with opportunities for learning and growth everywhere-even in the most ordinary of things. As a five year old, however, I only knew that it was fun to go swimming, that Miss Pat and Mr. Bartram were nice, that it was hard to catch tadpoles in the creek, and that counting things was cool.

Of course, since Bixby was only a preschool at the time, I moved on to the Boulder Valley schools, eventually moving to the east coast for college. I've lived on the east coast for 20 years now, with annual pilgrimages to visit my parents who still live in Boulder.

On a recent trip back home for the obligatory spoiling of the grandchild, my mother had the idea that we could show our daughter, now 5 years old, "Mommy's school." Our daughter immediately bit on the idea, telling us that this was going to be a "big deal" for her. Never one to disappoint, at least not on "big deals," we concluded that it would be worth the trip, particularly since Bixby still enjoys a very good reputation. It would be interesting to see how my old school had evolved.

Of course, I had expected to see different faces, as surely Mr. Bartram and Miss Pat had long since retired. It had been 35 years, after all. Imagine what an amazing surprise it was to see Miss Pat, who looks astonishingly the same as she did 35 years ago, (which is annoying when you consider how much grey hair I have now) teaching in the kindergarten class my daughter was visiting! Not only that, but Miss Pat remembered me! (Mind you, I didn't dare ask if they were good memories or not-so-good ones.) We got the royal tour of the school and had the opportunity to see the teachers in action. What a pleasure! In stark contrast to today's dreary tales of burned-out teachers who just want to get through another year, and students who don't really care, here were young students truly engaged in learning-focused and interested in what they were doing, working together and being respectful and polite, with teachers who were truly engaged with their students. Here is a place to learn and grow!

And then there was the old mail truck. My father had built it, back when I was too young to remember him doing so, and at some point had given it to Bixby. (Miss Pat, of course, had to remind me of this). Yet there it was, more than 35 years later, sitting in the Bixby playground, well-worn from years of happy play, waiting patiently for its next group of eager children. Proving that, whatever else may be true, good things - be they teachers, ideals, literary works, or old mail trucks, do indeed stand the test of time.

Letter from a Bixby Graduate

Here are some excerpts of a recent letter from Dorrit Gordon (who graduated from Bixby in 1988) to Bixby founders, Pat Baker and Bart Bartram:

As each year passes I find I realize even more what a wonderful gift you gave me at Bixby. The most magical thing about Bixby is the assumption you and your teachers make about the basic capabilities of children. You never assumed that because we were six or eight or twelve we were unable to take responsibility for ourselves, unable to keep track of time, unable to learn. Thank you.

You encouraged me always to ask questions, and to expect answers. You taught me that only I am responsible for my actions, and that it hurts me more than anyone else if I fail to meet my responsibilities. You taught me that understanding how to get there is more important than knowing the answer. You taught me that learning is a life-long endeavor and that every experience has something to teach me.

I clearly remember Bart telling me, "Forgetting is the same as not wanting to." Although I didn't really understand him then, I find myself repeating those words to myself and to others and I have learned how true they are.