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CCES Voices

Lila Kittredge

Humble Beginnings in Downtown Greenville

When Lila Kittredge '78 began teaching Primer at CCES in 1995, the Lower School was in the old Sunday School classrooms at Christ Church in downtown Greenville.

“I had a small, windowless room with no technology and traditional desks and chairs,” Mrs. Kittredge said.

The room was the same one her husband took classes in when he was in Primer.

That classroom is much different from the one that Mrs. Kittredge teaches in today. Her Primer classroom now is on the same campus as all of the grade levels, and it boasts much more than just desks and chairs.

A Modern, Cross-Cultural (And Comfy!) Classroom

“Now, I am in a large classroom with a huge wall of windows, computers, iPads, a SMART board, doc cam, and a speaker system,” Mrs. Kittredge said.

Technology has allowed Mrs. Kittredge to take a global approach to teaching. Recently, one of Kittredge’s students was in Jamaica with her family and wanted to FaceTime the class and teach the students about the island.

“We had a great visit with her as she sat on the beach and answered questions,” Mrs. Kittredge said.

And for the past two years, Mrs. Kittredge’s classes have been Skyping with a class in Brazil every month. The classes use technology to learn about cultural differences.

Mrs. Kittredge’s progressive teaching style isn’t limited to the latest in technology, though. She has always strived to find the best ways to teach young children.

One tactic she’s implemented in her class is alternative seating. She allows students to select the best spot for them to do their work.
“We have spaces with standing desks, wobble stools where they engage their core muscles and wiggle a bit, core disks on the floor at a low desk as well as rocking chairs and yoga mats for reading,” Mrs. Kittredge said.

“Children choose different places throughout the day where they can be comfortable, focused and doing their best.”
Mrs. Kittredge’s approach to seating leaves the students plenty of room for group projects and exploration.

While Mrs. Kittredge’s classroom today may look much different from the one she taught in in the old Sunday School classroom at Christ Church, what’s most important about CCES has remained the same.
 

Mentoring Students for Life

“Christ Church has always been a school with high academic standards,” Mrs. Kittredge said, “but more importantly it has always been a place where deep and lasting relationships are nurtured and young people are encouraged to develop to their highest potential.”

Mrs. Kittredge stays in touch with many of her former students long after she taught them in Primer.
“I am still corresponding with students, some of whom have moved back to Japan, Germany and other spots around the world,” she said. “I realize that I have been teaching for a long time when I see that they are graduating from college, getting married and having children of their own.”
Mrs. Kittredge says that she’s not the only teacher at CCES who develops lifelong friendships with the students.

“The administration, faculty, and students tend to become friends and mentors for life,” Mrs. Kittredge said.

And even closer to home, Mrs. Kittredge is very familiar with how CCES prepares students for exceptional lives and careers. Not only are she and her husband alumni, but their three children graduated from CCES too. Their son Zay now serves as the Upper School counselor.

Mrs. Kittredge is retiring this year, but the Kittredge family tradition continues with Zay and with her grandson, a third grader at CCES. Kittredge wishes the same for little Jeff that she has wished for all CCES students throughout her career.
 
“It is my deepest desire that they may have the privilege and pleasure of growing up at CCES in the nurturing, caring and intellectually stimulating environment that we know and love,” Kittredge said.  


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Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.