Emerson Williams shows 'Let Grow' assignments to build student independence

Emerson Williams Elementary School officials described a year-two pilot of the Let Grow experience program at the Wethersfield Board of Education meeting on Oct. 14, saying the school gives students supervised, age-appropriate independence to build problem solving and confidence.

"The mission of Let Grow is to make it easy, normal, and legal to give kids the independence they need to grow into capable, confident, and happy adults," said Nila Thakur, principal at Emerson Williams Elementary School, as she introduced student examples and family participation.

Thakur told the board the school launched Let Grow after a communitywide reading of the book The Anxious Generation and subsequent staff conversation that children’s online exposure and reduced real-world independence have contributed to increased anxiety. At Emerson Williams, teachers, parents and students work from monthly themes; students select a goal, attempt it during the month under parent supervision, and write about what they did, what was hard and what they learned. Teacher Christina Carmen said the monthly structure becomes a writing and reflection exercise for students and is tailored to family circumstances.

"Every month, I group my students flexibly, and they brainstorm depending on what the theme is for the month. ... And then they have the whole month to work on it, and at the end of the month, they write me a paragraph," said Christina Carmen, language arts teacher at Emerson Williams.

The board saw photographs and videos of students doing tasks such as grocery scanning, preparing family meals, walking to school, watering plants and sewing projects. Second-grader Brooke Netz described planning a Halloween route and making a grocery list for a family trip to the store; her mother, Liz Netz, appeared with her at the meeting.

Thakur said the school relies on materials from the Let Grow nonprofit and brief online training she attended; the materials are free and serve as starting points for teacher-family brainstorming. When asked by board member Matt Riley whether there are plans to expand the program districtwide, Thakur said Emerson Williams will present the program at next month’s elementary principals meeting but that there is currently no district plan to roll out Let Grow across other schools.

Several board members and attendees praised the program and encouraged sharing student stories and photographs. Thakur said families provide short writeups and photos each month, which the school collects and posts in classroom- and hallway-displays to spread ideas to other families.

The presentation emphasized that staff do not expect all families to adopt identical activities: teachers discuss risk and safety with families and tailor expectations to local conditions (for example, whether a child’s household is on a busy road). Several board members noted the program’s focus on reducing screen time and increasing real-world responsibility.

Emerson Williams staff asked families and the board to help spread the idea; Thakur said she will present Let Grow at the district principals meeting next month so other schools can consider it. At the Oct. 14 meeting, the board did not take any formal action on the program.

The presentation included multiple student examples and teacher reflections intended to show how the work becomes an instructional and social-emotional learning activity rather than purely a home assignment.