Advisory

At Harlem Academy, teachers are hired and assessed not just for their effectiveness in teaching, but also for their ability to connect with and support students. Every lower school student has two adults with primary responsibility for their academic performance and holistic interaction with the community. In the lower school, lead and assistant homeroom teachers monitor and support students’ academic and psychological development.

Lower school teachers use the Connected and Respected curriculum from Educators for Social Responsibility to advance students’ social and emotional development with a focus on collaboration and problem solving. The program helps students understand similarities and differences, active listening, critical thinking and empathy, managing anger, and deescalating conflict.

During six-week periods, the lower school collectively focuses on each of the four community pillars that guide the school creed: initiative, integrity, compassion, and determination. During each period, community meeting messages delve into an aspect of the pillar and teachers follow up with relevant classroom activities. For instance, when the lower school is focused on integrity, students are encouraged to seek and share examples of integrity in the characters from their independent and whole-class reading.

Every lower school student has a journal and writes a weekly reflection on what excited them most during the week, something they have learned, and an area in which they would like to improve. Journals are read and responded to by teachers, and students are occasionally invited to share a particularly poignant entry with their classmates.