Aware that many public schools are preparing students for a world that no longer exists, Educate the Whole Child promotes a fresh paradigm that is truly nurturing and educates the whole child. We embrace a variety of approaches that fully engage students—head, heart, and hands– and prepare them for a lifetime of continued growth.
WHAT IS
AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
To the extent that we narrow the purpose of schooling to what can be measured, we fail to
engage those sides of children that must be developed in order for them to pull learning
from life. We also increase the likelihood that
they will be bored, question the value of school,
and in some cases even drop out.
Instead of starting with the questions “How do we prepare kids to compete in the 21st century
global marketplace?” or “What will insure that graduates all have command of basic skills?”,
suppose we start by asking what qualities we want to encourage in children as they grow toward
adulthood.
Putney Central School
Putney, Vermont
In addition to its 175 acre campus, the school has a forest with outdoor classrooms. This rural school is small enough to be able to place an emphasis on students’ individual development and creativity. Halls and classrooms are filled with student art.
Guilford Elementary
Guilford, VT
Guilford Central has an outdoor classroom for every grade level, pre-K through 6. Students engage in a farm to school program, learning about nutrition, and spend a large part of every day outdoors.
OUR
RESOURCES
Educate the Whole Child expects to offer a graduate level 12-credit certificate–Teaching the Whole Child. It will consist of four online courses that may be taken as a series or independently. See details here.
Teaching Children to Care
Many practical suggestions for social and emotional development can be found in Teaching Children to Care, revised edition. Author Ruth Sidney Charney was co-founder of the Center for Responsive Schools.
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Montessori
Angeline Stoll Lillard’s Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius provides an excellent introduction to the Montessori approach.
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