Educational Philosphy






		We Believe That Children Learn Best When: their needs are met and they feel safe and secure they are empowered with a good self-image they are never labeled a failure with words, actions, or grades they are taught how to learn and how to love learning they are taught how to think, not told what to think they are allowed to discover on their own how the world works they enjoy learning, not when they are pressured into learning they learn at their own pace the “tools of learning” (or subjects) are integrated and relative to the real world they are not lost in a crowd, either in a classroom or in a school they are not stymied by a teachers learning objectives, but rather are guided and encouraged to reach developmental objectives they question; and they learn to question effectively whenever their questions are validated with patient responses they are allowed to play they have consistency in staff, rules, and procedures their parents are concerned with and involved in their education and lives teachers tap into the children’s background knowledge so they can make connections to what they already know the teachers get to know the children’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, and then utilize that knowledge to guide the children’s discoveries they are allowed to make mistakes and when they are shown that mistakes are part of the learning process, and therefore, nothing to be ashamed of We Also Believe Children Learn Best: how to resolve conflicts when they are shown an effective model and expected to resolve their own conflicts with guidance how to react and respond to the world around them by watching adults’ effective responses how to be responsible by being trusted with important matters how to forgive when they are forgiven, and how to apologize when adults apologize to them that their actions produce consequences if they are given appropriate, consistent consequences how to respect people, property and nature if they are treated with respect by adults what it means to be an adult if they can form meaningful relationships with mentors, guides, and role models how to be effective, nurturing parents by either having been effectively raised by their own parents, or by experiencing real-world parenting education and activities