Brimmer Blog
What makes a school special is both who its people are and what they believe. At Brimmer, you will find educators who embrace new ideas, respond with dynamic programming, and adjust to the needs of each student. You will find students who are encouraged to be inquisitive, confident, and open with their ideas and beliefs. We are a PK – 12 community that models what it means to be lifelong learners. In Brimmer’s school blog, our educators and administrators share their unique perspectives. Come learn how our students are inspired to learn, encouraged to explore, and empowered to lead.
2026
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June
The Gift of Perspective
I’d like to suggest that perspective is the one of the most powerful tools you will ever carry, one you already possess, and one that will serve you long after the facts you have memorized fade. -
Summer Reading: A Community of Readers
As the school year comes to a close, our minds turn to the idea of longer, warmer days that may bring more free time and the opportunity to indulge our minds with good books. Summer Reading is a robust concept here at Brimmer, encompassing both required work and optional enrichment activities for students. -
Summer Math
Every spring, families reach out asking how they can support their child’s math during the summer. They worry that their children will succumb to the ‘summer slide’ - the annual loss of learning that occurs during the summer months – and wonder what they can do to help avoid this common phenomenon. -
May
The Role of Literacy Across All Subjects
We often think of literacy as knowing how to read. Literacy encompasses four major skills – reading, writing, speaking, and listening – and is of vital importance in every subject area, even STEAM. -
April
Celebrating National Library Week
We are excited to celebrate National Library Week at Brimmer! This year’s theme is “Find Your Joy.” -
Extraordinary Possibilities Are Waiting
In a school community devoted to encouraging students to explore, may we continue to help them see that even in the midst of ordinary routines, extraordinary possibilities are waiting just beyond the horizon. -
March
Brimmer Beyond the Walls
Our students turn into alums, naturally, and we keep in touch with them and they come back to visit or join us at school sponsored events such as Homecoming and Alumni Day. Or they just drop in to say hello. It’s a bit difficult to do the same with them when we are out in the world because it’s kind of awkward to think to stop by a university and drop in on an alum in class. -
Teaching Leadership With Intention
I recently had the opportunity to teach a session on running effective meetings with students in Brimmer’s Leadership Institute. As I prepared for the class, I found myself thinking not only about agendas, room setup, and discussion protocols, but also about the larger work we have done as a school to be intentional about leadership development. -
Building Conceptual & Procedural Thinking in Math
Technology and research have allowed our thinking around math instruction to evolve in meaningful ways. We know more about how the brain processes and retains information than ever before, including how children develop number sense and come to understand complex mathematical ideas. -
Learning That Lasts: Why Student-Centered Classrooms Matter
Walk into a Lower School classroom, and you might see students designing earthquake-resistant structures, debating how animals adapt to their environments, writing creative stories inspired by historical events, or collaborating to solve a math challenge. -
Project-Based Learning in Middle School
Project-based learning is a central part of the Middle School experience at Brimmer. Throughout the year, students are asked to apply their knowledge to solve problems, create original work, and present their thinking to others. -
February
Commitment to Honoring Black Excellence
At Brimmer’s Lower School, we believe Black history is not confined to a single month. Black history is American history, woven into the stories we tell, the voices we amplify, and the learning experiences we create throughout the year. Our commitment to honoring Black excellence, resilience, creativity, and leadership is an ongoing part of who we are as a community. -
Teachable Moments
‘A teachable moment’ is a phrase familiar to most, I think. An expanded definition can be helpful, however, and teacher Beth Lewis offers this: “A teachable moment is an unplanned opportunity that arises in the classroom where a teacher has a chance to offer insight to his or her students. -
What is Digital Literacy?
Traditional definitions of literacy encompass skills relating to reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Digital literacy encompasses a much broader range of skills. Technology is changing at an accelerating rate, so it is important to ask: how do we define digital literacy for our students? -
January
Problem Solving Through Design
Innovation, empathy, and creativity come together in powerful ways in the Upper School, where students are challenged to think beyond themselves and design with purpose. Courses like Problem Solving Through Design encourage students to engage deeply with real-world challenges.
Brimmer and May School
69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.