Our Guiding Principles

 

We believe that children are capable and competent.  We trust that our children will learn what they need to learn, when they need to learn it, when provided with an appropriate and enriching environment.  We trust that our children's natural curiosity and innate drive to learn are all the motivation that they need. We know there is no need for tests, homework, exams or grades, and that these external judgements have a negative effect on our children’s internal motivation.

 

We trust that our children are capable of handling life.   They are capable of overcoming everyday obstacles, challenges, and setbacks.  We know that to clear all obstacles from their paths is to rob them of the opportunity for growth.  We know that by fixing things for them, we are taking away their ability to connect their actions to the natural consequences.  

 

We respect our children.  We know that they are whole humans who already have everything they need to grow and thrive.  We trust that our children know themselves best. We know that to set our own arbitrary limits and goals for them is to dampen their own internal sense of personal responsibility.   We trust that our children can set goals for themselves.  

 

We value our community.   We know our children are so perceptive.  If we want our children to read, we should read to and around them.  If we want our children to be kind, we should be kind. If we want our children to be respectful, we should be respectful to them and to others.  We believe that the best way to teach is to model and we desire to have a positive, respectful community surrounding our children.

 

We recognize our connection to nature.  Through exposure to the natural environment, our students realize a deeper appreciation for nature and a better understanding of the world around them. Children are called to play by the vastness of time and space nature provides, and it is in this vastness that ideas and curiosity emerge.