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“By definition children are pupils and learning is a human activity which least needs manipulation by others. Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting.” – Ivan Illichhe
The guiding principles of the Friends' School philosophy are as follows:
Whole Child
Friends’ School is committed to educating the whole child—head, hand, and heart. In educating the whole child we are awake to children’s gifts, natural curiosity, and desire to learn. Research consistently tells us that intelligence is dynamic and multidimensional. In every child’s education many different areas need to be addressed. These include the cognitive, physical, artistic, social/emotional, and spiritual aspects of learning. Our teachers integrate, honor, and consciously teach to each of these dimensions. In addition, by supporting such gifts as appreciation for nature and the child’s natural sense of spirituality we strive to create an atmosphere of wholeness in our classrooms and in our school.
Integrated and Experiential Learning
At Friends’ School, teachers teach to each child’s individual learning style and intelligence. We nurture children’s cognitive, physical, artistic, social and emotional development. Our lessons and projects are designed with consideration of all the learning modalities (auditory, visual, kinesthetic), Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and Mel Levine’s neurodevelopmental constructs.
Research tells us that understanding and retention of knowledge are based on involvement with a subject that has meaning to the student. This serves to keep children engaged and motivated while learning academic skills. The more opportunity the child has to discover, manipulate, teach and experience the subject, the more learning will occur. Our learning environment is designed to invite a child to become involved in the educational process and to pursue his or her interests and creativity.
We also know because of research that students make the most sense of material if it is learned in context. Therefore at Friends’ concepts and skills are taught in the context of integrated units of study. This integrated approach is most appropriate for children at the elementary level to help them understand the common experience that underlies the various disciplines. Using students’ experience, background knowledge, and interests, qualified teachers use their wisdom to maximize student learning while engaging students.
Children need the opportunity to be with others who are learning various skills at the same rate as they are and to be challenged and taught by those who may be learning or developing more rapidly. They benefit from the opportunity to support and teach others. They need to have experiences being on the younger end of the group and being one of the older leaders of a group. At Friends’ this balance is created in classrooms and through the interaction of students among.
Eco-Literacy and Interconnectedness
Experiencing the wonder and beauty of nature is intrinsically valuable and it is critical in developing eco-literacy. Eco-literacy grows from the knowledge derived from rich experiences with the natural world. Children who understand the complexity of interconnections on earth are personally motivated to work toward the sustainability of the planet. Eco-literate students make conscious choices about use of the earth’s resources now and in the future. We want our students to be informed of the realities of environmental issues and feel empowered and optimistic about improving global health.
Spirituality
Developing personal spirituality is a life-long journey. We strive to support each individual in this process to develop self-awareness, establish personal values, and understand oneself as part of the bigger world. We encourage children to have open hearts and minds as they grow, explore, and change. We appreciate the practices of all religions and often share traditions in the classroom. Through school rituals and celebrations we honor the cycles of the seasons.
Scholarship
Children are natural learners. In supporting children’s innate curiosity and desire to learn, we strive to create an educational environment that balances depth and breadth as well as process and content. We foster both critical and creative thinking in our students. Through individual and cooperative hands-on learning experiences, children construct their own knowledge through engagement with the real world. We help them learn to question, evaluate, act, and reflect. We want children to be able to solve problems in all academic arenas. We want them to be fluent readers, spontaneous and literate writers, sound mathematicians, scientific thinkers, and curious global citizens, who readily apply their knowledge and are confident in their abilities to do so.
Diversity
In the context of today’s world we must prepare children to have successful relationships with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, socioeconomic levels, and family structures. We recognize that each person possesses unique intelligences, talents, affinities, and challenges. We discuss, embrace, and learn about many aspects of diversity in the classroom: race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, family structure, learning styles, skills, challenges, and interests. We want children to utilize this knowledge and to recognize and act on issues of prejudice and injustice. We respect our differences and understand that diversity makes our community a healthier place.
Community
We believe that the collective energy of many people, from students to parents to staff, creates a community that supports each other’s growth and learning.
Children who have a strong sense of belonging to their school feel safe and connected. Being part of a positive community supports children’s growth into healthy, contributing members of society and their adult communities. We believe it is important to build and sustain community by nurturing respect, responsibility, and safety. It is important for students to learn direct, honest communication, and mediation techniques. Social/emotional curriculum helps students learn self-awareness facilitating their interactions with and understanding of others.
Community in the school begins in each classroom. It expands to the school, the neighborhood, the city and beyond. Children’s sense of community gradually grows to include other cultures and all living things. Students are encouraged to be active members of the larger local and global communities. Service learning experiences offer them opportunities to learn about and engage in the world beyond Friends’ and ways they can contribute to the larger good.
This integrated approach is a dynamic way to deeply engage the student and nurture a love of learning, personal growth, and engagement of their world.
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